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"Israelis Have Every Right to Build Security Fence", Congressman
Scott Garrett's Op-Ed, Daily Record, March 23, 04
Dear Editor:
Congressman Scott Garrett could have easily stated his blind support for Israel
by omitting his lengthy Op-ed piece and keeping the last paragraph in which he
affirms Israel’s right to protect its citizens by building a “fence on its
borders”.
No one argues that any country, including Israel, should remain silent in the
face of outside attacks on its borders and citizens. Israel, of course is an
occupying power and for the for the last 37 years has kept five million
Palestinians under a brutal regime of military occupation. Moreover, the
dichotomy in Congressman Garrett's message is that Israel is NOT building the
wall on its borders but rather deep inside Arab lands, separating and cutting
off entire Palestinian communities form each other and from their farming lands
Imagine if the US would build a wall 10- 0 miles deep into Mexican territory to
protect us from illegal immigrants and drug traffickers. Would that be
acceptable to the Mexicans? Would such a wall be legal? Won’t the Mexicans
oppose it? It would be bordering on moral bankruptcy if our esteemed Congressman
would support such a "security fence".
To give blanket support for Israel to continue its illegal occupation of Arab
lands is unfathomable coming from respected members of Congress. By so doing, he
is willing to let more Israelis and Palestinians die as the status quo
continues: Israel's occupation facing a people's resistance.
The Apartheid wall is a land grab and a calculated attempt to preclude the
establishment of a viable Palestinian State. The solution to the Palestinian
Israeli conflict is not building walls but erasing all obstacles to a just
settlement. And this will require Israel to end its occupation and to dismantle
its settlements in the West Bank just as it has finally recognizing the futility
and high cost of keeping them in the Gaza Strip.
Respectfully,
Aref Assaf, President
ADCNJ
Garrett Supports Israel's Right to Defense
World Court Hears Case on Israeli Barrier
February 24, 2004 - Outside the baroque Peace Palace at the Hague, Israelis bear
photographs of relatives who died in recent suicide attacks, they circle the
shell of a Jerusalem bus destroyed three weeks ago by a bomber who killed 11
people, and injured many others. These types of memorials occur daily in Israel,
where innocent Israeli citizens, including, women, children and seniors have
become terrorist targets, and where Israeli shops, streets and schools have
become battlegrounds.
Since 1948, the state of Israel has constantly been under attack, from inside
and outside her borders, from neighbors on all sides. There are always threats
in the country, and always cause for alarm. Daily, Israelis fear for their
lives. Today, the threat to Israel's security has never been greater.
On the eve of the U.N.'s hearing on the West Bank barrier, a Palestinian suicide
bomber blew apart a Jerusalem bus, killing himself and eight passengers. This
strike, which injured 60 others, was in protest of the security barrier,
constructed by Israel to foil such terrorist attacks like this.
This terrible and painful bombing in Jerusalem has brought new urgency to the
claim of Israeli leaders that a security fence is desperately needed in order to
prevent terrorists from entering from the West Bank and proves that Israel is
under a new wave of violence, one that the Palestinian leadership is unable and
unwilling to stop.
For this reason, I support Israel's construction of a security fence and will
support additional miles be built should Israel so decide to continue this
defense option. The security fence is a proven way to impede terror, which in
turn will help advance the peace process. It is situated to protect the lives of
Israelis, and is built upon their own land. The separation barrier has thwarted
more than 50% of the attempted terrorist attacks against Israel, and the fence
around Gaza has prevented all Palestinian suicide bombers from entering the
country.
Palestinians are working to disrupt this pursuit towards peace. Monday,
Palestinians presented their case to the United Nation's International Court of
Justice (ICJ), standing against the Israeli separation barrier in the West Bank,
while Israel appealed to world opinion, and moral common sense, to ignore the
proceedings it called inherently unfair.
Israel only began the construction of this fence after a three year period of
near daily terrorist attacks that killed 919 Israelis and left thousands maimed
for life. More than 40 nations including the United States, the European Union
and Australia have joined Israel in protesting the court's consideration of this
matter, because it falls far outside the court's traditional mandate to serve as
a mediator between willing states, and more importantly would undermine Israel's
- and any nation's - right of self-defense as guaranteed by the U.N. Charter.
The Palestinians and their supporters have manipulated the U.N. General Assembly
to request the ICJ to issue a legal advisory on the security fence. Though not
legally binding - the advisory opinion could prompt anti-Israel resolutions at
the U.N. later this year and reinforce efforts to isolate Israel
internationally. Manipulation of the ICJ is only the latest in the attempts of
Israel's detractors to use every arm of the U.N. to de-legitimize Israel.
The U.N. has been a source of anti-Israel activity, passing more resolutions
against Israel than on any other subject matter - over 400 since 1964. In
contrast, the body has never investigated the Palestinian terror campaign
against Israel, nor has it investigated the abuse, torture, and other human
rights violations by non-democratic states in the Arab world. The U.N. is the
same body that voted against removing Saddam Hussein and ending his evil regime
over the Iraqi people - and has for years shown a history of misplaced
priorities.
The international community and Arab states in the region must come together to
strongly discourage further Palestinian terrorism. Arab states should, in an
effort to provide Palestinians a home, open their borders to Palestinians,
instead of criticizing Israel for protecting the security and sanctity of their
country.
Nations around the world must support Israel in their right to defend their land
and their people. Israel has every right and must have every-ability to protect
their people and their country. Those who say otherwise, that Israel's
self-defense is an impediment to progress, miss the point entirely. The
destruction of Palestinian terrorism is not an impediment to progress - it is
the definition of progress.
Where the violence stops, the peace process can move forward. Until it does,
Israel's efforts to build the security fence on their own border are necessary
and justified responses to the perils that this nation faces.
As Israel is a free, democratic, peace-loving nation, and our only ally in a
region filled with unrest and American hatred, our nation must do everything we
can to support Israel and not stand in the way of Israeli leaders doing what
they feel is necessary to protect their citizens and their homeland.
Rep. Scott Garrett (NJ-05) represents portions of northern New Jersey including
Bergen, Sussex, Warren and Passaic counties.
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Darwish.
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