Letter to the Daily Mail Editor: Jewish Settlements

May 26, 2009 

Dear Editor,

Your article on Israel this Monday blamed the failure of Israeli and Palestinian attempts to reach a peace agreement entirely on Israel's refusal to stop all settlement activity. This position is unfair and untrue.

Israel has banned further settlements from being built, but it won't halt construction in established towns and villages arising from natural growth, such as increasing family sizes. Why should it, when there are a large number of Arab villages and towns in Israel itself, which are either solely Arab areas, or are shared by Arabs and Jews?

Jews and Arabs have lived together for over 60 years in Israel. Why should they not be able to do the same in any future Palestinian State? Cleansing the entire West Bank of Jews is an idea which smacks of Nazi ideology. As in Israel today, a future Palestinian State could have towns and villages under either Jewish or Arab administration, depending on the votes of the majority.

And what about the Palestinians' obligation to halt terror before any negotiations begin? The media are strangely silent about that, yet it, surely, is the key condition for planning a future State.

Yours truly,

(Dr.) Elizabeth Stewart,

Weston, Spalding (UK)