UN must enforce its resolutions and the will of the world community in Israel
|
Version 0 of 1. Though I agree with Giles Fraser’s analysis (Loose canon, 29 November) that “Netanyahu’s nationality bill is at odds with [the] Hebrew Bible,” and contradicts Israel’s declaration of independence, which affirms “complete social and political equality for all its citizens, regardless of religion, race or gender”, his quotation from the Book of Numbers – “The community is to have the same rules for you and for the foreigner residing among you” – raises the question of who is and who is not a foreigner in historic Palestine. The Palestinians consider themselves the indigenous people of the land and descendants of the Canaanites, while the population of Israel, which was established in part of Palestine in 1948, is made up of immigrants from the former Soviet Union, Arab countries, Europe, the US and other countries. If the principles of equality were to be applied sincerely across the board to all Jewish and Palestinian people in historic Palestine, it would be easier to resolve the conflict between the two sides. Netayahu’s policies, whose aim is to declare Israel a national Jewish state, pose a clear threat to the Palestinians who remained within the borders of Israel and became citizens of the new state after the 1948 war, which involved the ethnic cleansing of many of their villages and towns. It is also an attempt to deny the Palestinian refugees the right of return to their homeland, which they were forced to flee. The world demands that Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian people’s lands should end, that an independent Palestinian state should be established next to Israel, and that the two states should coexist in peace and security. The will of the world community and the resolutions and principles of the United Nations should be enforced and considered as binding as the moral principles of major religions in our world.Maher OthmanBarnes, London |