Land First, Then Peace

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/13/opinion/13turki.html?scp=1&sq=land%20first,%20then%20peace&st=cse

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From: barry levine <levinebar@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, Sep 13, 2009 at 8:38 AM
Subject: re: Land First, Then Peace
To: letters@nytimes.com


To the Editor:

   In 1921, the British created the Hashemite Kingdom of Transjordan by partition of their mandate in Palestine. The remaining 23% of the land was then further partitioned by the United Nations in 1947 into three parts. These were to be a Jewish State, an Palestinian State and the International Enclave of Jerusalem. The proto-Israelis accepted this partition, the proto-Palestinians rejected it, and no one spoke for Jerusalem.  Now ambassador al-Faisal proposes that talks of peace should posit that Jordan, and the West Bank and the city of Jerusalem are eternally Arab lands, and only the remaining 12.7% of the land of the British Mandate is to be discussed.  From such a starting point, I can't see any prospect of peace.

Barry Levine