 in the press Star Tribune: Readers Write, for Friday, June 19, 2009 JUNE 11TH - SACK EDITORIAL CARTOON ON SETTLEMENTS PUBLISHED
JUNE 15TH - MN CONGRESSWOMAN MICHELE BACHMANN RESPONDS SACK CARTOON ON ISRAEL Change must begin with the Palestinians
The cartoon makes no mention of the impediment of Hamas' direct refusal to accept Israel's right to exist or of the similar undercurrent in Palestinian society. President Obama's recent speech in which he called for the end to the Israeli settlements similarly failed to call on Palestinian society to erase from its textbooks and television programs and mosque sermons the thinly veiled challenge to Israel's existence. For decades, Israel has been a strong ally for the United States, a strategic partner based on shared democratic values, friendship and respect. The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed a resolution reaffirming our nation's commitment to stand by Israel. The people of Israel have extended the olive branch on many an occasion, even as they have been victims of violence and hatred. We should continue to support them if we want a lasting peace in the Middle East. U.S. REP. MICHELE BACHMANN, R-MINNESOTA JUNE 19TH - RESPONSES PUBLISHED SACK CARTOON ON ISRAEL Share the blame so we can move forward The June 16 letter by U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann seems to suggest that Israel should be free from all criticism and blame for the violence in Gaza and that the Palestinians are solely responsible for the continuing conflict. The June 11 Steve Sack cartoon suggests the opposite. In reality, neither Israel nor Hamas is perfect; both are responsible for the continuing violence. To settle any conflict in a positive way, both sides must first admit their wrongdoing. How will this be possible when we keep clearing one party from blame? Declaring one side to be correct and righteous eliminates the possibility for a moderate outcome to be reached, which in turn deadlocks negotiations, allowing the fighting to continue. ALEX COLE, BURNSVILLE The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has always been a conflict over land, yet Rep. Michele Bachmann doesn't think that Israel is "responsible for stopping the peace process by failing to stop its settlement construction." Article 49 of the 1950 Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War unambiguously states that "The Occupying Power shall not deport or transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies." Doing so is contrary to international law. Military occupation, by definition, includes the use of force. When you violently colonize territory, violating the human rights of the inhabitants is an obvious byproduct. If Israel genuinely wanted peace, it would offer a credible exchange of land for peace. To date, this has never happened. Final paragraph of letter that was not published: Bachmann's demonization cards are weak. HAMAS, created in 1987, has nothing to do with the root causes of the conflict, which began with Zionist colonization of Historic Palestine in the late 1800s. And no independent international educational body ever found any evidence that Palestinian textbooks challenge Israel's existence. NIGEL PARRY, MINNEAPOLIS 
more from this section  • Israeli ultra-rightist protested in Pittsburgh, Walter Smolarek, PSLWeb.org, Thursday, February 11th, 2010  • PULSE: 20 Top Global Media Figures of 2009, PULSE, Thursday, December 31st, 2009 • Wise guys, Marina Saint Martin, The Gold Coast Bulletin, Sunday, December 20th, 2009 • Video: National Special Security Events and Independent Media, Our World In Depth, Monday, December 14th, 2009 • So who is the idiot here?, Doron Rosenblum, Ha'aretz, Sunday, November 1st, 2009 • Image Problem, Marty Levine, Pittsburgh City Paper, Thursday, October 15th, 2009 • Live on KPFK Pacifica Radio's "Indymedia On Air" program, KPFK, Monday, October 12th, 2009 • G20 Press Conference at the Thomas Merton Center in Pittsburgh, FluxRostrum, Monday, September 28th, 2009 |
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