A RESPONSE TO DR. GANDHI

Open Letter to Dr. Arun Gandhi 

(BackSpin)

Dear Dr. Gandhi,

I just read your comments about Israel's relationship with Palestinians. You ask:

Would it not be better to befriend those who hate you? Can you not reach out and share your technological advancement with your neighbors and build a relationship?

Please consider, sir, the following:

• We reached out in peace in 1967. The Arabs emphatically said no.

• We made peace with Egypt. They killed Sadat.

• We extended a hand to Yasser Arafat in partnership. He wasn't sincere.

• We gave them Gaza. They gave us rocketsand radicalism.

Extending a hand in peace is only noble if your rival's hand is also open to yours, as our friendlyrelations with Jordan demonstrate. Enemies indeed can become friends.

But I can't shake a rival's hand that remains clenched in a fist.

Respectfully yours,

Pesach Benson
Editor, MediaBackspin