Letter to The Washington Post

Dear Editor,

The Washington Post’s Scott Wilson states that “Palestinians envision a future state in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem” [Textbooks In Israel to Designate West Bank, Dec. 6, 2006]. Who are the Palestinians to whom he refers? Palestinians have never chosen the path of peace and reconciliation through territorial compromise. When offered the opportunity for a sovereign state, Palestinians have always chosen war to destroy Israel – territory has always been inconsequential compared to the desire to destroy the Jewish state. As early as 1948, Palestinians were offered this “envisioned” state. At that time, they not only declined the offer but rather attempted to conquer all of Israel in battle - along with seven neighboring Arab countries. As recently as May of 2000, Palestinians were offered almost all of the territory that The Washington Post claims they desire – through the mediation efforts of President Clinton – yet declined it outright and chose the path of violence through their intifida.

On June 9, 2006, in an article in The Washington Post, that same reporter stated that Hamas - the democratically elected totalitarian regime that leads the Palestinians - wants a future Palestinian state to "cover territory that now includes Israel". This has been the stated or implicit aspiration of the Palestinians since Israel’s inception. What motivates The Washington Post to conceal the aspirations of the Palestinians rather than state what the Palestinians themselves are not reluctant to declare?