I am not sure I completely understand the logic of Max Ajl's Oct. 26 article declaring Israel's Gaza pullout as a ploy to get more land. As near as I can tell, any movement taken by Israel aside from complete capitulation is deemed to be a "ploy." Nowhere does Ajl contend that the withdrawal was a bad thing, and yet he demonizes the major actors involved as having the most Machiavellian of intentions. The position that the Israelis are James Bond film-like villains twirling their mustaches and looking to exploit others at every opportunity is simply untenable in the face of historical and modern evidence. Historically, the Israelis have accepted every viable peace plan ever put on the table, including that at Camp David in 2000; this particular plan acceded to all the demands from which Israeli leaders are now apparently trying to distract people (for example, Prime Minister Ehud Barak agreed to the formation of a Palestinian state with a capital in East Jerusalem). Israelis danced for joy in the streets when the Partition Plan was announced in 1947, and there was nary a mustache twirler to be seen. Presently, I think people often forget the massive restraint Israel shows on a daily basis. In the face of a constant barrage of terrorist attacks, Israel responds with targeted arrests and assassinations. Would Americans in this situation be so discriminate? (Hint: we are not.) Has any nation in history shown such restraint during what amounts to a time of war?

Furthermore, I was somewhat distressed by the letter's negative portrayal of Palestinian Arabs. It states that a fall to chaos and violence was "predictable" when Israel withdrew. Even if one granted that Israel had left the Palestinians in Gaza in a precarious economic position, the response of many people would be to unify under a sovereign order for the sake of maintaining peace and generating what strength they could. To take a random example, when Israel itself was freed from occupational forces in 1948, it was far more economically isolated than any Palestinian state or territory would be now. Despite massive internal tensions, Israel did not fall into civil chaos. Why is it so "predictable" that Palestinians would not be able to emulate Israeli civil unity? I cannot come up with an answer that is not denigrating to either the Palestinian people or their culture, and am surprised The Student would print such an incendiary remark.

Daniel Wilkenfeld '06