LETTER: Meaningless Distinctions in the Middle East

To the editors:

Avishai D. Don’s Sept. 23 column, “The Settlers of Canaan,” is morally troubling and belies a deep misunderstanding of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Don argues that if only Israel and the United States were to make the distinction between fundamentalist settlers and non-ideological settlers, then this would go a long way toward resolving the dispute, because it would enable the harnessing of non-ideological settlers in favor of the two-state solution. Further, Don’s solution is that Israel can make the two state solution more palatable to these settlers by granting the Palestinians a state in stages, “over decades,” gradually dismantling settlements.

Contrary to Don’s opinion, the problem is not with the settlers so much as with the settlements themselves. Does it really matter whether the person who is illegally living on Palestinian land is an extreme right-winger or only a moderate right-winger? The mere existence of a settlement impacts the life of the average Palestinian. Palestinians cannot enter settlements without permission. They have to wait hours at checkpoints that surround settlements. They can only travel on some roads in the West Bank, even if these roads were built on expropriated private Palestinian land. Would a Palestinian, waiting in the scorching heat for hours simply for the purpose of getting from her village to a medical clinic, care that the checkpoint is there to secure a non-ideological settlement?

Further, Don writes: “Whether the best way to isolate extremism among Palestinians is to build on the land that they desire for a state is obviously debatable.” One must wonder how the entrenchment and reinforcement of the settlement enterprise, the strongest and most visible symbol of the 43-year-old Israeli occupation, can isolate extremism. The existence and development of the settlements is making the two-state solution less and less of a viable option. Settlements not only gut the West Bank, but pose a significant hardship on the lives of Palestinians. Increasing these hardships and continuing the human rights violations will not isolate extremism, it will only exacerbate it.

And the icing on the cake: Not only have the Palestinians been denied their rights for decades, Don suggests extending that by a few more decades. The Palestinians want, and deserve, their right to self-determination. Continuing Israeli occupation, while simultaneously extending the settlement enterprise, stands in the way of justice both for Palestinians and Israelis. As an Israeli, I reject Don’s suggestion that we wait a few more decades. The conflict has been going on long enough. It is time to end it, not prolong it.

ADAM SHINAR

Cambridge, Mass.

Sept. 23, 2010

Adam Shinar is an S.J.D. candidate at Harvard Law School and a civil rights attorney in Israel.