(Jerusalem Post) Bret Stephens - The territories are not "occupied" but disputed, and the presence of Israelis on them does not violate international law or the Geneva Convention. The conflict is not a battle between Jews and Arabs, but between democrats and dictators. Arafat, far from being the champion of his "people," is just another garden-variety Arab despot foisted on a nation that deserves better. The argument against terrorism must be placed in the context of an argument for the legitimacy of the State of Israel. That legitimacy is very much in doubt among too large a percentage of the Palestinian population, and the dispute over the territories is merely a proxy argument over this larger question.
2002-06-11 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive