In my recent article (“Conflicted Over The Conflict,” May 3), I stated that while “the Palestinian leadership incites violence and hatred … this hatred has been emboldened by the ongoing occupation of more than five decades.”
Mr. Stephen Flatow responded (Letters, May 17) and said, “There’s just one problem with this theory: The Israeli occupation of the Palestinian Arabs ended more than 20 years ago.”
Mr. Flatow claims that the occupation ended 20 years ago, referring to the Oslo Accords. But while the accords, which formed the Palestinian Authority to act as Israel’s sub-contractor in the West Bank, reduced the brutality of the occupation, it did not end it. If there were no occupation, why has Israel not annexed the West Bank? And why do Palestinians lack freedom of movement or voting rights for the government that controls their lives? It would be acceptable to claim that some of these injustices are due to security or demographic reasons, and I understand that. For Israel’s sake, however, we must work to actually end the occupation, not deny its existence.
