Memorandum submitted by Alan I. Davis
RESPONDING TO THE MEMORANDUM SUBMITTED BY
CHRISTIAN AID[37]
This is a response to the report by Christian
Aid as the conclusions drawn must be suspect. There seems to be
a lack of understanding of the peoples and conflict in the area.
In fact some of the recommendations would pose a serious risk
to British Nationals plus Israeli security.
My own background is a knowledge of the history
and of the peoples, I only returned home from the Middle East
last week and would urge you to read my comments and thence to
use your judgement on the points raised. I am aware that your
time is limited and therefore will attempt to precis my comments
as far as possible.
Paragraph 1. Heavy unemployment in Palestinian
areas is of course one effect of strict Israeli control and clampdown,
however it is obvious that this control would not be necessary
if attacks on Israeli civilians were not part of current Palestinian
strategy. Everybody I have spoken to wishes for separation of
the peoples so that these controls would not be necessary and
a calming period of reconciliation to take place (some years).
Christian Aid complain that Palestinians are suffering as they
are not allowed access to work in Israeli areas; but of course
they are not allowed, each worker must be viewed as a potential
suicide bomber and this Israeli government was freely elected
on the promise to reduce attacks. In this respect they have succeeded.
The children who are as malnourished as those
in Congo or Zimbabwe does not bear testimony. I certainly have
not seen malnourishment of African proportions anywhere in the
Middle East, through my own eyes or through TV media.
Paragraph 4. With the conclusion "no
amount of aid will resolve the political conflict" is agreed,
but it must be pointed out that ex- Israeli Prime Minister Barak
and Arafat seemed to almost reach agreement where over 90% of
the W Bank would be handed to the PA. However Arafat could not
control the militants and the bombings increased; then Arafat
distanced himself from the Peace Process by introducing the Law
of Return. Any Demographic study would show that the proposed
"returnees" would in a matter of a few years cause an
end to the, already overcrowded, Jewish State as Israel is a democracy.
Arafat knew the demand would have to be vetoed by Israel and so
the Process was effectively torpedoed. There wasn't even an offer
of an interim agreement by Arafat.
CHRISTIAN AID
SUMMARY:
1.2 International Protection Mechanism.
Christian Aid cannot request British or US troops to police any
agreed borders. It must be remembered that after 9/11 Palestinians
were celebrating in the streets and it would be madness to place
our troops in such a position. There are no other countries capable
of keeping the peace or acceptable to Israel. Perhaps with a constructed
fence and full separation then Allied troops could patrol the
Western line and Third World troops the Eastern.
2.1 "The construction of the wall
is the most serious threat to peace"? Obviously the militant
groups such as Hamas are the greatest obstacle to peace. The wall
is actually the only viable way to progress. C. A. complain that
the wall encompasses Israeli settlements within the W Bank but
Israel has a duty to protect its citizens. Israel has demonstrated
readiness to give up land in return for peace but in the absence
of any agreement whatsoever, there is simply no point in evacuating.
It is further clear that the extremist groups talk of "occupied
territory" meaning the whole of the State of Israel which
can never be an acceptable entity to them. Therefore a partial
pull-back will not achieve anything until the militants are controlled.
It is ludicrous to suggest that this conflict, getting worse over
the decades, is without resolve because of the Wall, it is not
even completed yet and can be moved as they did on the Northern
border.
3.2 & 5.2 "Occupation".
I would agree with the US definition of "disputed" territories.
These lands were once Ottoman controlled, then British Mandate,
then Jordanian. However they were always populated by Jews hence
the names "Hebron" and "Jericho" from biblical
days until the massacres of the 1920's. Obviously the Jordanian
period from 1948-67 caused most remaining Jews to flee if they
were able. Clearly it was not a Palestinian State and my own view
is that the land is not "occupied", there is an absence
of legal sovereignty hence the US definition.
4.1 In view of the squandering of EU aid
to the PA, some of which appears to have ended up in Swiss bank
accounts according to media reports, any contribution by the UK
Government would appear to be ill-advised. The "transparency"
called for by C. A. would be of great benefit but guarantees
of transparency a prerequisite.
There are always news reports of "refugee
camps" in the disputed territories. The refugee problem arose
in 1948 when the Arabs invaded and some Palestinians fled with
the promise of a rich pickings on their return, many stayed and
became Israeli Citizens. Following this War of Independence a
similar amount of Jews fled persecution in Arab countries and
settled in Israel. It was the responsibility of the Jewish Diaspora
to support these Jewish refugees and ensure their smooth absorption
into their new country which was just the size of Wales! After
50 years it is time for Arab Oil Money from the world over to
alleviate the poverty and not simply support terrorism. Thus far
the oil states have maintained the "Palestinian Refugee"
in poverty as a political propaganda weapon against Israel. The
UK is already expending aid to Moslem areas or countries such
as Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq; it is time for the Saudis and
others to participate fully.
CHRISTIAN AID
RECOMMENDATIONS:
2. "Ensure that Israel allows humanitarian
access" It must be said that Israel's government has
security as the priority. Once Israel realised that ambulances
were being used for the transportation of weapons, then proper
inspections have to be made at checkpoints, leading in turn to
inconvenience or worse for the innocents. But it is no use using
some UN resolution to condemn Israel, as they have no choice whilst
there isn't full separation of the communities.
2.3 "both Israel Left and Right
now oppose the wall" This is totally misleading! It is
the extremes from both camps only, whilst the middle majority
crave separation. They would be quite happy to have the wall moved
to the Barak/Arafat line if full agreement could be reached.
2.5 The route of the Wall, by deviating
from the Green Line the Wall has cut off communities: Again
misleading. Wherever the Wall was placed would cut off some communities.
The Green Line came into existence in 1948, since then the population
of Jews and Arabs has swollen dramatically in this democratic
State. Towns have expanded or been founded, villages have become
towns and encroached either side of the Line. There are now almost
six million people in this tiny country.
3.2.1 "After Oslo, agreement on
Israeli security meant that Israel controlled 82.8% of Palestinian
Territory". This is such nonsense that I would recommend
C. A. to look at their own map on the back of the report showing
demography. Obviously Israel does not want to be in these areas,
and they move back into specific "suspect" areas after
an attack, but their area of control is fluid and at the moment
reduced in line with attacks. We cannot begin to understand CA
claims unless they elucidate on what possible statistics they
are embracing to quote 82.8%
FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS
(C. A.)
3. "International Law and its impartial
application are the best guarantee of justice" Yes, but the
key word is "impartial", one may as well wish for Santa
Claus. There is no point in summarising with such gratuities.
The above report was a statement of the plight of
Palestinians in the Disputed Territories. I would like to balance
the report with some facts from the Israeli side:
The Intifada intended to harm tourism and the
Israel economy; this has succeeded. Social Welfare had to be slashed.
Teachers have told me personally how their Junior School students
have no books. They rely on charity to buy some pupils shoes;
one teacher said that she is being constantly asked for food!
(This in the "affluent" town of Zichron Yaakov). The
recent General Strike was against the reduction in the already
pitiful pensions and manpower reduction in the Public Sector.
Hotels are empty and unemployment is high.
I personally had a meeting with members of "Zakka",
this is a voluntary organisation first established to pick up
the pieces of bomb victims according to Jewish Law ready for burial.
They use motor-cycles and frequently get to
attack sites before the police and ambulances, they always have
their pagers on night and day. They have proved so useful that
they now train as paramedics to deal with the wounded if necessary.
They need counselling after each attack. There have been 900 deaths
in Israel due to "Shahids", proportionally equivalent
to 9,000 deaths in the UK. It must be obvious that the public
do not want a war but previous peace proposals have only increased
the attacks from militants. Until the Palestinians give peace
a chance and really accept a Jewish State (albeit tiny) no progress
can be made. The militants have to be stopped and incitement to
kill by their clerics curtailed.
November 2003
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