Letters to the Editor

This letter is associated with the following article:
Once despised by a generation of Israelis, Ariel Sharon became a venerated father figure. His passing from the political scene leaves the future of the Middle East in even greater doubt.
  • A third pair of hands...

    Here is what might be a helpful idea. What if

    Israel were to de-link Settlements and Occupation

    by..dismantling and depopulating each and every

    Settlement and closing each and every one of its

    waterwells in the West Bank?

    Then the Occupation could be downgraded to a

    temporary security occupation with no sign that

    Israel wanted any more material wealth or presence

    in the West Bank. Then the Palestinians would

    have a serious reason to believe that Israel was

    prepared to de-occupy the West Bank if Palestine

    was prepared to leave Israel Proper rigidly and

    strictly alone.

    Where does a Third pair of hands come in?

    What if America were to freeze its aid to Israel

    in mid-pipline till America was satisfied that

    every Settlement and Settler had been removed,

    and every Settler waterwell shut down? When that

    condition had been verifiably inspectably met,

    the aid could be unfrozen. The resulting low-grade temporary security occupation would end when

    Israel and Palestine achieved final treaty peace.