Madam, - I read with interest the reply of Israeli ambassador Dr Zion Evrony to Vincent Browne's recent analysis of the Palestine-Israeli situation (Opinion & Analysis, January 19th).
The ambassador's article was couched in the most singular diplomatic language. Mr Browne is decorated with terms such as "outrageous", "disturbing", "appalling", "poisonous prejudice" and "attempts to demonise". Then, in the midst of all this colourful language, Ambassador Evrony has the nerve to accuse Vincent Browne of a "tirade".
He states that "Israel's right to exist" is "axiomatic and unreserved". He neglects, however, to refer to the equally axiomatic principle that no nation has the right to construct a state (or anything else) on the lands of others, without the freely given consent of the lands' owners.
For 60 years now, the State of Israel has bulldozed its way into lands and homesteads that have been owned and occupied by Palestinians for countless generations. There is a simple term for such grabbing of other peoples' property. It is called theft.
Justice is the mother of peace. There will never be real peace in the Middle East unless the theft of Palestine is effectively addressed. For this to happen, Israel will need to acknowledge the injustices that it has visited on the Palestinian people and to compensate fully all the victims of these injustices.
There is, of course, no sign of Israeli willingness to embark on
such a radical course of action. In the light of this, Dr Evrony's
extraordinary claims that Israel has "yearned for peace" and
"strongly supports the establishment of a viable Palestinian state"
must be seen for what they are: claptrap. - Yours, etc,
CHARLES HAYES,
East Ferry,
Midleton,
Co Cork.