ADL responded to a cover story from The Economist "Why Israel Needs a Palestinian State," which unfairly places the majority of the blame on Israel as the reason why a Palestinian state has not come about.
Letters to the Editor
The Economist
To the Editor:
One can agree with the premise of your argument for “Why Israel needs a Palestinian state” (May 20th), while strongly disagreeing with the analysis explaining why a Palestinian state has not come about. The inadequate history you present not only unfairly places the majority of the blame on Israel, but also encourages a Palestinian narrative that continues to be the main obstacle to a solution.
Nowhere do you refer to Israeli initiatives—at Camp David in 2000, Gaza in 2005 and Annapolis in 2008—which could long ago have produced that desired state if not for Palestinian rejection and inaction. Add the Palestinian incitement against Israel, its funding of the families of terrorists and its refusal to negotiate throughout Barack Obama’s presidency, and it should be no surprise that peace and a two-state deal remain a distant dream.
It takes two parties to make peace and the prospects for any resolution of the conflict have been damaged, delayed over the years by the Palestinian leadership and their continued refusal to accept the legitimacy of Israel as a Jewish state and their unwillingness to deal reasonably with the substantive issues.
When this finally happens, it will have a much greater impact than your skewed history in bringing the parties back to the table and allowing Israel to make the necessary concessions for peace.
Sincerely,
Jonathan Greenblatt
CEO and National Director