In his July 30 op-ed “Slogans do nothing to promote peace in the Middle East,” Daniel Kagan
implores us to seek leaders who can “demonstrate their understanding that competing
thoughts can coexist.” In the same spirit, and in response to the questions contained in that op-ed, I pose the following questions:
- Does the writer accept that Palestine has the right to continue to exist as a sovereign state?
- That the Israeli people deserve a meaningful path to self-determination?
- Do Palestinians have the right to live free from invasions, rockets and terrorist attacks?
- Do Israelis have the right to live in safety, with dignity and hope for a viable future?
- Does Palestine have the right to defend itself after an attack and to protect itself against future attacks?
- What responsibility does Palestine bear to limit civilian suffering while fighting an enemy that deliberately operates within its civilian populations?
- What responsibility does the IDF bear for deliberately targeting Palestinian civilians and embedding its military operations among the people of Gaza?
- What practical path, if any, offers the best chance for lasting peace?
- What role should the United States play in helping bring about that peace?
The questions we ask often say more about our underlying beliefs than how we answer those questions.
Zoë Lidstrom
Lewiston