The T-word

I am writing to discuss Herb Keinon’s “Only 12% of Israelis believe full withdrawal would end conflict” (March 28), which goes on to report about Israeli support for other possible solutions. Nowhere in the world were the solutions suggested successful in ending the conflict between two different cultures, even when those cultures were very similar.

The conflict here is indeed between two cultures. This type of conflict has occurred many times during the past two generations and has been resolved successfully. The solution is always the same: the separation of the two antagonists.

After World War II, 30 million people had to address the problem facing Israelis and Arabs today. The common solution they chose (or were forced to accept) was the transfer of populations. Germans, Poles and Czechs did it. Hungarians, Romanians and Bulgarians did it. Indian Muslims and Hindus did it. Turks and Greeks did it. All these peoples now live in peace with one another.

Jewish residents of North Africa have moved to Israel, as have Iraqi and Iranian Jews, but Arabs expect to return to Palestine when they destroy Israel.

It defies common sense and a hundred years of Arab attacks on Israel to expect that some magic formula will be found to create two states living in peace where the populations will not really be separated. We have that now, with the reality being that Arabs have access to all of Israel while Jews are restricted when it comes to visiting Arab areas and Jewish holy sites, such as Rachel’s Tomb, the Cave of the Patriarchs and Joseph’s Tomb.

The polling avoids the recognition of the only solution that has worked in a conflict such as that between Israel and the Arabs. When will we ever learn?

PHILIP BRIEFF Jerusalem