Two sides to the story, but not to the facts

In response to Soquel Schafer’s guest commentary on April 1, of course there are multiple sides to each story, but that does not allow there to be multiple facts (or maybe you were just making an April Fool’s Day joke?).

For example, you claimed the 1967 Arab-Israeli War was initiated by Israel. While Israel did, in fact, fire the first shots on June 5, Egypt closed the Straits of Tiran to Israeli shipping on May 22, which was a declaration of war. I’m sure Dr. Foroohar also taught you that Syria repeatedly shelled Israeli towns in the north, and Egypt sent terrorists to attack Israel in the years leading up to the war. But did she tell you why Nassar ordered the UN peacekeeping troops to withdraw from the Sinai on May 16?

Nassar said it best himself on May 27: “Our basic objective will be the destruction of Israel. The Arab people want to fight.” He followed this the next day: “We will not accept any … coexistence with Israel … Today the issue is not the establishment of peace between the Arab states and Israel … The war with Israel is in effect since 1948.” That was the bottom line with Egypt, and that is the bottom line with the Palestinians: They do not want the Jews in Israel.

Read the Hamas charter and see for yourself. (Hamas, by the way, is the democratically elected governing party in the Palestinian territories.) As you can see, the fact that Israel is a Jewish state has everything to do with the conflict.

And I know it’s popular to call Israel “apartheid,” but just remember Israel has universal suffrage, with 10 out of 120 parliament seats going to Arab parties, and one Arab in the Supreme Court. I’d like to see if I can get a seat in the Yemeni parliament as a Jew!

By the way, if Palestinian suicide bombers are defending Arab lands, then what motivated Hamas and Islamic Jihad to shoot thousands of rockets into Israel from Gaza recently? For the settlements evacuated from Gaza in 2005?

One last thing: maybe you should hear Neil Lazarus speak on April 7 at Chumash Auditorium from 8 to 10 p.m.

Zachary Goldstein is a mechanical engineering senior and a guest columnist for the Mustang Daily.