Facts vs. ‘beliefs’
Jessica Montell posits that the “West Bank is under occupation, that’s a fact” (April 17). Then she asserts that “many Jews, both in Israel and in the United States, use the biblical names Judea and Samaria, highlighting the belief that this territory forms the foundation of the Jewish people.” Therefore it is factual according to Montell that this area is occupied, but it is only a “belief” by some that this territory belongs to the Jews.
Perhaps it is the opposite. Judea and Samaria are part of the biblical homeland that defines the State of Israel. If it were not, then what are the Jews doing in that part of the world? The term “occupation,” in a military or political sense, is when the land in question is a sovereign and legal government and is then taken over by foreign governments. An example would be when Nazi Germany “occupied” France, Austria, and Poland during World War II.
There has never been a legal land of Palestine, with a government in place. The military is in place in the “West Bank,” as Montell calls it, for
the protection of the Jewish population, who would otherwise be subjected to harm. Until Israel can trust that it can live with its Arab neighbors in peace, the Israeli military will remain.
Hindy Kierman
East Brunswick
comments