The Arab-Israeli solution

Yet another spate of letters about the Arab-Israeli situation has appeared on this page. Do the writers ever think about what a solution to this problem should look like? Is the solution two states, one Arab and one Jewish, as proposed by the U.N. General Assembly in 1947 and supported by the U.S. and other world leaders ever since? Perhaps some writers would like the inconvenient Jews to quietly disappear from the region. Do the writers’ words and actions contribute to a solution or merely fan the flames of conflict?

Too many writers condone or rationalize Arab terrorism as a natural response to Israeli “aggression,” but this legitimizes terrorism and violence as political tools. We see where that leads in many parts of the world, including Muslim-on-Muslim terrorism in a wide swath across North Africa to Pakistan. This is the path to endless conflict that benefits only those leaders whose power derives from continuing and escalating the conflict. If you think Israel is an apartheid state, ask Nelson Mandela how to solve the problem.

Howard Glass

Spokane