Editor,
Joel Berger is being disingenuous with his recent letter condemning the Muslim Student Association as spreaders of lies and deceit regarding Israel. His pro-Israeli bias is at least as offensive as their alleged anti-Israeli bias.
Mr. Berger stresses the importance of historical fact. This is laudable. But his "facts" are misleading half-truths.
He makes reference to the Arab intent to "drive the Jews into the sea." Without attributing it, he has directly quoted former Egyptian president Gamal Abdel-Nasser, whose words - not actions -- prompted Israel to launch a pre-emptive strike against Egypt, an assault now called The Six-Day War. Seeing Egypt under attack, Jordan joined in the fight and lost the West Bank for their trouble.
Does Mr. Berger truly believe that Israel could have been so bold, and yet not have deserved some blame - perhaps shame - for the aggression that has followed? Perhaps so. He says the Palestinian situation "is certainly unfortunate, but it isn't a result of Israeli aggression." But the Palestinians haven't been slaughtering themselves. Even soldiers in the Israeli military have begun to sicken of the treatment of Palestinians. Arab attacks have certainly claimed the lives of many Jews in Israel, but the Israelis have shown little mercy in retaliation.
If Yasser Arafat has rejected recent offerings from "the peaceful Jewish state of Israel," it's because so often the hand of peace has been holding a gun.
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David Newbert
UNM Bookstore staff
