Editor,
I am an Israeli student here at UNM, and I am disturbed by the one-sided perspective and lack of knowledge of the basic facts that some writers - Ms. Lori Rudolph, for example - express regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
It is easy to put the blame on the occupation, but people should remember that the war that resulted in Israel occupying the territories was forced on Israel by its neighbors that wanted to put an end to the existance of an Israeli state.
The Palestinians seem to be the weaker side in the conflict, but weakness does not guarantee that the underdog necessarily is right. The Palestinians did not miss an opportunity.
They started by rejecting the United Nations decision in 1947 that divided Israel into two states and ended by rejecting former Israeli prime minster Ehud Barak's offer to end the occupation, establishing a Palestinian state and dividing Jerusalem.
Instead of accepting the deal and starting a life of a good neighbor, the Palestinians erupted violence and left most Israelis to believe that they are not interested in peace but only to see Israel ceasing to exist.
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The Palestinians can put an end to the occupation through negotiation, but no terror attack will convince any Israeli that the Palestinians are really willing to accept Israel's existence.
Gil Greengross
Anthropology graduate student
