In an Oct 9, article in The Free Press by Elisha Wiesel titled: “The Death of the Nobel Peace Prize,” Wiesel began with the statement: “My father, Elie Wiesel, received the Nobel Peace Prize for ensuring the Holocaust wouldn’t be forgotten. By honoring Navi Pillay, who accused Israel of genocide, the committee has betrayed his legacy.” In the comments section I stated that “It is Israel that has violated its and humanity’s principles.”
The explosion of comments that followed (not all in response to my comment) surprised and saddened me (the bigotry and ignorance). As I write this they number over 500. Along with many childish insults, I was asked to defend my support for the UN claim that Israeli post-Oct. 7 attacks on Gaza were genocide.
Warren Coats: “Have you listened to your right-wing government official’s reason for killing over 74,000 people in Gaza after Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel, 21,000 of them children? Clearly genocide”
Doc Sportello: “I see you are probably unaware that there are over 1 million Palestinians living peacefully in Israel and prospering under the Democratic government of Israel, while their brethren are living elsewhere in the territory and live in abject poverty and fear from the terrorists they have allowed to govern them. All Palestinian would be far better off living under Israeli rule.”
Skipping the intervening chit chat, I responded to Doc Sportello’s statement as follows:
“At the invitation of the Israeli government, the IMF provided technical assistance to the Palestine Authority to create a Palestine Monetary Authority as called for by the Oslo Accord. I led many of those missions. My team and I usually stayed in the American Colony Hotel in East Jerusalem and occasionally in the King David and Hilton Hotels in West Jerusalem. You are right that Arab Israelis have the same rights as other Israelis. However, during our stays in the mid 1990s the Israeli Supreme Court ruled that the Israeli government was not providing adequate social services to the Eastern (Palestinian) sectors of Jerusalem. While driving from the American Colony Hotel with a Palestinian official, she pointed to an attractive home and said that she had been born there and grew up there until driven out by Jews who confiscated it.
“The Jews I discussed a ‘one-state solution’ with (Israel taking over all of the WBGS and giving Palestinian the same rights Arab Israelis now enjoy) were worried that Jews would lose their majority. https://wcoats.blog/2024/01/19/one-state-solution-for-palestine-israel/
“Most of our meetings were in Ramallah in the West Bank and an easy drive from Jerusalem. Because I had a UN passport, entry into Ramallah via the Israeli checkpoint for Jews and me was quick and easy. But for the thousands of Palestinian coming to work there every day, the wait was generally an hour or more via the Israeli checkpoint for Palestinians. I am sure you (Doc) will understand that any people anywhere in the world would be outraged at such treatment in their own land.
“Your claims of conditions and life in the West Bank are wrong. The homes, crops and lives of West Bank Palestinians were largely destroyed by Jewish settlers and Israeli forces. Since Oct 7, 2023, they have killed about as many Palestinians in the West Bank as Hamas killed Jews on that October 7 raid (about 1,200). Over that same period Palestinians killed 41 Jews in the West Bank (19 of whom were civilians).
“Many Jews (both Israeli and others) have worked hard to build peaceful relations with their Arab neighbors. Sadly, far too many in Israel have done the opposite. Obviously, you have access to the internet (here we are) and can see what the respected news papers of the west (WP, WSJ, NYT, LA Times, etc.) report when ever you become interested in the truth.”
I am holding my breath for the two very important elections in a few weeks in the U.S. and in Israel.
