Letters - Sunday
Mideast peace a noble goal
Israel's decision to vacate Gaza in a good faith effort to advance the peace process was obviously a bad one and shows what would happen should it relinquish control of the West Bank to create a Palestinian state.
The primary goal of the Arab states surrounding Israel has never been to create an independent Palestinian state. It's to destroy the state of Israel. No amount of negotiation will change that.
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu knows what must be done to secure Israel's borders and protect its people. He will never allow Israel's enemies to gain the strategic advantage that would render his country indefensible.
Netanyahu sums up the situation this way, "If the Arabs put down their weapons today, there will be no more violence. If the Jews put down their weapons today, there will be no more Israel."
The global Islamic population is around 1.2 billion. They have received the following Nobel prizes: one for literature, four for peace, zero for economics, zero for physics and two for medicine.
The global Jewish population is around 14 million. They have received the following Nobel prizes: 10 for literature, eight for peace, 13 for economics, 53 for physics and 31 for medicine.
Hopefully a solution can be found to the tragic impasse that has long existed between Jew and Muslim. We are fast approaching the time when nuclear weapons may come into play. The world should focus on bringing peace to the Middle East.
Harlan Nimrod, Colorado Springs
Israel fights its destruction
John Ulbinsky and Bill and Eugenia Durland are once again having at Israel (May 22 and 29 Gazette). In a conversation Eugenia and I had a year ago, she doubted ongoing exchanges between us would be productive. Sadly, I too, with rare exception, have found it fruitless to present facts to those who steadfastly assail America, Israel, and the Christians, Jews, and others who support these two nations. While imperfect, America and Israel stand out from among the nations as beacons of goodness in the world.
Golda Meir's asking in 1967 who the Palestinians are was a legitimate question, since their movement first emerged in 1967. Zuheir Mushin, a member of the PLO's Executive Council said in 1977: "There are no differences between Jordanians, Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese. We are all part of one nation. It is only for political reasons that we carefully underline our Palestinian identity ... (T)he existence of a separate Palestinian identity serves only tactical purposes. The founding of a Palestinian state is a new tool in the continuing battle against Israel."
The accusations that with the "fourth-strongest military in the world," Israel seeks to oppress and commit "ethnic cleansing" of Palestinians would, if one is being logical, wither in the face of the following facts: 1) A 659 percent increase in the Arab population in Israel from 1949 to 2000; 2) A 50 percent increase in life expectancy in the Gaza Strip, from 48 years in 1967 when Israel introduced its health care system, to 72 years in 2008.
A Jewish homeland in Israel is based on historical presence and rootedness, legitimate land purchases, U.N. approval, victory in a defensive war and the Bible.
In his memoirs published in 1973, Khaled el-Azm, Syrian prime minister after the 1948 war, listed among the reasons for the Arab failure in 1948: "the call by the Arab governments to the inhabitants of Palestine to evacuate it (Palestine) and leave for the bordering Arab countries. Since 1948, it is we who have demanded the return of the refugees while it is we who made them leave ... all/this in the service of political purposes." More information is available at www.camera.org.
The Durland's, Ulbinsky and I are likely all for justice and peace, but our views of good and evil are very different.
Deane Berson, Colorado Springs
Students never put at risk
Last week, we learned of allegations against Jason Gaulden, who has been a Colorado Springs Conservatory board member since September 2008.
We would like to assure our students and their families, as well as our donors and other partners, that the alleged incident did not involve students from the conservatory, either past or present.
As a board member, Gaulden was not involved with day-to-day operations of the conservatory, never taught or attended a class there and was never alone with the children in our care at the Conservatory. On June 8, he notified the conservatory of his immediate resignation from the board.
The conservatory has clear policies and procedures in place to ensure the safety of the children we serve, and all our teachers undergo thorough and rigorous background checks.
Every child who has been served by the conservatory has always been and will continue to be safe. We make sure that every effort is put forth to ensure that end.
Linda Weise, Executive director, C.J. Moore, Chair, board of directors, Colorado Springs Conservatory
