After reading John Sumpter’s column in The Daily Orange on Monday, Oct. 11, I felt compelled to write a response.

Sumpter’s column focused on the introduction of a new law that Israel has passed through the Knesset. The bill does not state ‘new immigrants must pledge loyalty to the Jewish and democratic state,’ as he previously stated in his column. It states that non-Jewish people applying for citizenship must pledge this oath. This difference is a very large one that I feel Sumpter fails to recognize. Israel was created in 1948 by the United Nations as a Jewish state. Therefore, pledging an oath to Israel as a Jewish and democratic state is no different than pledging an oath to the United States as a democratic state.

The real problem is Palestinians and most Arab countries refuse to recognize Israel as a Jewish state, despite the U.N. resolution. To quote Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, ‘The bill reflected the essence of Israel at a time when many in the world are trying to blur the connection between the Jewish people and their homeland.’ This is an important connection because, whether you like it or not, Israel is a Jewish state. There is absolutely no ‘ethnic cleansing’ or ‘racism,’ as stated in Sumpter’s article. The fact of the matter is that in order to become a citizen of Israel, you must accept the fact that it is a Jewish state. This does not seem unreasonable or even unwarranted because of the hostility shown toward Israel throughout its history.

The quotes Sumpter placed in his article from Mr. Ahmad Tibi are therefore irrelevant, because by not recognizing Israel as a Jewish state, he failed to recognize Israel at all. Mr. Tibi is also an Israeli Arab and a member of the Knesset and the Israeli Arab party, called the Ta’al Party. He enjoys full rights, including free speech, which cannot be found anywhere else in the Middle East. Mr. Tibi is also a harsh critic of the state of Israel, but is always allowed to say what he feels. I urge Sumpter to keep this in mind before using harsh language, such as ‘racism’ and ‘ethnic cleansing.’

So Sumpter says that Israel has no interest in peace? The blatant failure to recognize the fact that Israel has the right to exist is a clear indication that it is, in fact, the Palestinians who do not want peace. How do you expect them to negotiate with an entity they don’t recognize?

Israel has made countless accommodations and sacrifices in the name of peace. Israel agreed to give the Palestinians their own country and gave the West Bank and Gaza to the Palestinians as a step toward creating peace. Israel also engaged in a settlement freeze in which Netanyahu agreed to halt any building in East Jerusalem. It took until the last month of the freeze for the Palestinians to come to the table and talk.

Sumpter also mentioned Rahm Emanuel’s stepping down from the White House as an indication that Israel does not care how America views it. This is simply not true and in no way related. America is Israel’s greatest ally, and Israel will forever care about what America thinks. Israel and America share a very strong and mutually beneficial relationship. I understand that both sides have made a great deal of mistakes. Since Sumpter covered the mistakes of Israel in his column, I feel it is necessary to show the other side of the story.

Ari Shamir

Junior finance and accounting major

Published on October 11, 2010 at 12:00 pm