Saturday, May 21, 2011

LETTER OF THE WEEK

Earlier this week, the Sydney Morning Herald gave former Palestinian representative to Australia and ambassador to Vanuatu and East Timor Ali Kazak the opportunity to froth on about the violence on the Israel-Syria border blaming the Israelis as is his wont.

This is the letter of the week and is a response to Kazak's error filled rant:

Another side to the Israel-Palestine story

Ali Kazak wishes to "set the record straight" with his own brand of the truth which is in itself clearly biased and factually incorrect (Letters, May 18). Let's clarify two very simple truths about the incursion from Syria into Israel by Palestinian "refugees". These protesters attempted to cross a border between two nations who are very much at war with each other and should expect to be killed immediately and without question, just as if they were South Koreans deciding to cross the border into North Korea.

Israel is, after all, and despite Arab objections, a democratic sovereign state. Second, you have to wonder why, after more than 30 years, they have finally now decided to protest in this way and that has a lot to do with the Syrian government's agenda of trying to divert attention away from its own internal battles and massacre of civilians. No matter how Ali or any pro-Palestinian activist twist it, the truth is that the Middle East would be an incredibly peaceful place today if the Arabs finally accepted the Jewish peoples' right to simply exist in Israel.

Tamir Aloni Caulfield (Vic)

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