Re “Palestinians and Israelis Both Deserve to Thrive” (opinion, Feb. 17)
Prof. Joseph Margulies, government and law, was part of Cornell’s Collective for Justice in Palestine, a group dedicated to the freedom of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all people (Israeli and Palestinian) from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea. In his Guest Room submission, “Palestinians and Israelis Both Deserve to Thrive,” Margulies hits on many liberal Zionist talking points without explaining the reality of the current situation for both of our groups. In his submission, Margulies reveals himself as a typical liberal, with one notable exception: his stance on Palestine.
I completely agree with Margulies’s assertion that both Israelis and Palestinians deserve to thrive, but we must examine why this is currently not the case. Is it because the Israeli government has been deemed an apartheid state by multiple human rights organizations (B’Tselem, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International)? Is it the ongoing occupation of the West Bank and the current genocidal assault in Gaza? Or maybe it’s the over 700 road obstacles and 140 Israeli checkpoints that limit Palestinians’ freedom of movement? We can both wish all we want for how things ought to be, but we must not look away when confronted with the facts of the situation. I would hope a professor of law and government would know this.
According to Margulies, both Israelis and Palestinians have the right “to be treated with dignity and respect.” The problem with this narrative is that one group actively prevents the other from having such rights. If a Palestinian like myself wanted to go from Nablus to Hebron (both cities in the Occupied West Bank), the trip would take multiple hours. If an Israeli wanted to make this trip, it could be done in under an hour and a half. Why is there such a discrepancy? Well, there are highways built that Palestinians cannot access without applying for approval. The majority of these applications are denied.
Margulies insists “that Israel has no meaning if its success commands that Palestinians be denied the right to thrive.” This is ironic. The current status quo would then dictate that Margulies agrees with me: The Israeli government should be dismantled and a more fair system should be put in place for both Israelis and Palestinians. Margulies also insists “that Palestine deserves no future if its success commands that Jews be denied the same right.” I could not agree more! The problem here is that this is not what Palestinians and our allies are advocating for. We cannot continue going hoarse with how often we say that we want all people to be free, from the river to the sea.
I would have hoped that Margulies would see the current situation in Gaza as more than “the latest site in an endless struggle.” This pessimism makes it seem as though Israelis and Palestinians will never be able to see eye-to-eye. It is dangerous and enables the current systems of oppression and apartheid to continue down this horrific path of genocide and destruction. Margulies is right: The blood of every child looks the same. However, the amount of blood of innocent Palestinian children spilled by Israeli warplanes, funded by American tax dollars might be the reason so many people around us are outraged. They have had enough of the lies that the Israeli and American governments have told them for decades. At some point, I hope Margulies also realizes the truth of the situation.
Undergraduate Coordinator for Electrical and Computer Engineering