Greens' Middle East view ignorant and one-sided
Israel's Honorary Consul David Zwartz today said a letter of protest from Green MP Keith Locke was one-sided and based
on ignorance of the sources of violence in the Arab-Israel conflict.
"Mr Locke spoke of the need for negotiations between Israel and the Hamas. He admitted he had not read the Hamas
Covenant, and therefore did not know about its Article 13 which rejects negotiated peace settlements, or Article 32
which condemns the Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty," Mr Zwartz said.
"He seemed to think it incumbent on Israel to open negotiations with a group whose Covenant's opening sentences speak of
obliterating Israel.
"In his letter he expressed concern for Palestinians in Gaza but none whatsoever for Israelis within Israel who have
suffered over a thousand Kassam rockets fired at them from inside Gaza since Israel withdrew completely from Gaza in
August last year."
Mr Locke appeared unaware of the existential threat facing Israel from Arab and Muslim nations which have maintained
their hostility and aggression to the Jewish state since its formation in 1948. He seemed unconcerned about the threats
from the Iranian president to wipe Israel off the map.
With not a word of concern about the Hizbollah cross-border attack on Israel, Mr Locke criticised Israel for responding.
"There can be no respect for a Greens policy which sees the complexities of the Israel-Arab conflict in such a
simplistic and one-sided way, without a proper understanding of the root causes," David Zwartz said.
"Mr Locke makes well-meaning statements about civilian suffering which nobody would disagree with, but lays blame on one
side only because he is ignorant of the realities in the Middle East.
"I have given him a copy of the Hamas Covenant and an article about the Palestinian suicide strategy which I hope he
will read and understand before commenting again."
ENDS