COMMENT
MORAL AND MILITARY PROBLEMS
By the time this comment on the violence in the West
Bank appears, the situation might have changed. But at the moment
certain aspects of the conflict and its effect on public opinion might
be noted.
To begin with, no one who isn't in the grip of a militant
ideology can fail to be disturbed by the provocations of the Palestin–
ians and the harshness of the Israeli response. This is not a scene
easily stomached by peace-loving people who would like to see the
Jews and the Arabs, if not embracing each other, at least living in
some kind of political accommodation .
Recently, a wave of protest against the Israeli crashdown on
the Palestinians has swept over Europe and America. A number of
American intellectuals have made individual statements and signed
public ones strongly criticizing the Israeli government and proposing
certain measures to bring the conflict to an end. Most of the
statements deplore the strong methods of the Israelis in trying to put
down the Arab demonstrations and call for the: Israelis to initiate
negotiations, even with the PLO, to find a nonviolent solution.
Some of them urge the Israelis to withdraw - unilaterally - from the
West Bank to permit the Palestinians to set up their own state . Few
consider concretely the Israeli need for military security. And none
indicate the means for achieving this security as a result of negotia–
tions . Nor do they mention the fact that the Arabs are opposed to
negotiations except under conditions that guarantee support of their
demands without regard for those of the Israelis. Clearly, these are
one-sided approaches to the problem of the West Bank, and do more
to support the widespread condemnation of Israel than to promote a
settlement of the conflict.
Of course, intellectuals, even Jewish ones, have never been
noted for their political wisdom, especially when they have made
public their opinions on practical and topical issues. Nor have they
exhibited any particular ability to bring a more balanced and wider
perspective to the problems of Israel in relation to the Arabs. And
while many of them proclaim their concern over the fate of Israel
and its ethical image, it is not at all clear that they know better than
the Israelis themselves what the Israeli foreign and domestic policies
