Re: "United Church backs Israeli-product boycott," Aug. 18.
The United Church says it considers Israel's position on the West Bank and East Jerusalem as illegal.
In the 1948 attack on Israel by five Arab armies, an attack that failed, Jordan occupied the West Bank. They proceeded to destroy every synagogue, some of which were hundreds of years old. The territories never legally belonged to Jordan or Egypt and certainly not to the Palestinians. Jews have lived in that whole area, including the West Bank, for hundreds of years. The Palestinians were never a sovereign authority in any part of Palestine. The Jews of Palestine are just as much Palestinians as anyone.
The result of the 1967 Six-Day War was that Jordan left the West Bank, where they had not allowed any Jews to live from 1948 to 1967, but did not take the Palestinians with them.
Then began the suicide-bomber attacks on civilians, on buses, in restaurants and other public places, resulting in hundreds of deaths and thousands of injured. East Jerusalem is Jerusalem just as West Vancouver is Vancouver. Palestinians never held any position, political or otherwise.
Israel does not need or want war. It only wants the termination of physical and munitions incursions on its land. Incursions are still being attempted every day. but the security required has reduced the success of such activity dramatically.
The politicians of the Palestinian Liberation Organization and Hamas daily subscribe to the complete destruction of Israel. Israel believes them and will do everything to protect its citizens.
Marvin Sharpe
Victoria
