I was disappointed by the ignorance, silliness, and prejudice displayed in the alumni letters concerning Israel published in the May 16 issue.
One alumnus’s allegation that the “1947 partition [was] killed by Israel’s intransigence and expansion” is patently false. The Palestinians summarily rejected the United Nations partition plan, and along with five Arab countries invaded Israel intent on eradicating the newborn state, but failed.
Another letter writer refers to “Israel’s de facto control of the U.S. Congress.” This is a lie. It reminds me of the “truths” about Jews proclaimed by the anonymous Russian author of the so-called Protocols of the Elders of Zion, which later was promulgated in America by Henry Ford’s Dearborn newspaper.
Another alumnus claims that “we pay billions to Israel to help them deter others from attacking.” This is true. America provides $3 billion in annual assistance not only to defend Israel, but because Israel is a democracy and our strategic ally. Another reason is that, despite its small size, Israel is a major industrial, medical, scientific, and cultural center that contributes greatly to better modern civilization. Recently, in fact, Israel’s Technion Institute, which has produced numerous Nobel Prize winners, was selected with Cornell to build an engineering campus in New York City.
The Israeli Palestinians have the most freedom and highest living standard of any Arab population in the Middle East. The West Bank economy over the past five years has grown about 8 percent yearly despite virtually no help from the Muslim world.
Hamas, which won the last Palestinian election, has a constitution that calls for Israel’s destruction and blames Jews for causing the French Revolution and starting World War I. It is not easy to negotiate successfully with a party possessing such benighted beliefs.