|
Trending Topics
|
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/04/opinion/six-day-war-arab-israeli-anniversary.html?_r=0
Israel's 1967 Victory Is Something to Celebrate
(New York Times) Michael B. Oren - Israelis are celebrating 50 years since the Six-Day War - and with good reason. That victory saved us from destruction and reunited our holiest city. Ultimately, it also brought us peace with Egypt and Jordan and a strategic alliance with the United States. The Palestinians, by contrast, are mourning a half-century of suffering. We'll hear a lot this week about occupation and lack of Palestinian independence. Israel has a clear policy on this score: It does not want to rule over another people and is ready to begin immediate negotiations. Yet while Palestinian leaders claim they support a two-state solution, until they state that they favor "two states for two peoples," affirming both Jewish and Palestinian peoplehood and rights, the conflict will tragically persist. It is only through mutual recognition that Israelis and Palestinians will both be able to celebrate, rather than mourn, future anniversaries.