Almost Passing for Pasachoff

Jay Pasachoff of Williamstown, Mass. (possibly of the Department of Astronomy at
Williams College*) has a Letter to the Editor in today's NYTimes:

Military responses aren’t working to stop the bombs falling on Israel’s border towns near Gaza (“Israel’s Dilemma in Response to Rockets,” news article, Dec. 19), so why not try reason?

Each time Israel responds militarily, it should also broadcast and leaflet a statement that explains that peace would be met by peace; that if the rockets and other attacks stop, so would Israeli incursions; and that Gazans have been misled by their leaders to think that they would benefit by demonizing Israel.

I am sure he meant well but actually military responses do work and have just recently causing Hamas to seek a semi-cease-fire. I don't, though, that an organization dedicated to the destruction of Israel, refuses to recognize it, kills Jews for fun and thinks of we Jews as monkey and pygmies (**) is interestd in peace or that I would like to make peace at all with such a group. As for the rest of the Pals., I think they share much of Hamas ideology but that it is only a matter of degree. Reason, Professor, has nothing to do with the hatred of the Pals.

I have a better idea, one I expressed two years ago to the then head of the British Foreign Office Muddle East (sorry, Middle East) Peace Research Group.

I said that the next peace "treaty" between Israel and the PA must include an operative clause, backed and guaranteed by the international community. This clause would stipulate that for every violation, by either side, of the terms of the treaty, a piece of territory, say one square kilometer or whatever, would be moved to the other party. Something concrete like land needs to be at stake, I told him, saying that actually, my proposal fit in with the Land for Peace concept.

He laughed and commented that at the rate the Qassams are coming over, the Gazans will have no where to stand within a year.

I laughed and said, you probably are right.

I think that any other proposals or approaches are a bit starry-eyed.

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*

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It even reaches the U.K.:

...the Academy used text books by the Saudi government’s Ministry of Education which taught religious hate.

"The schoolbooks presently in use describe Jews as 'monkeys' (or apes) and Christians as 'pigs'," he says in the documents. Students are asked to "mention some repugnant characteristics of Jews", and Year 1 pupils are asked to "give examples of worthless religions, such as Judaism, Christianity, idol worship and others", he adds.

and this at Palestinian Media Watch In-depth Reports:-

“The battle with the Jews will surely come… the decisive Muslim victory is coming without a doubt, and the prophet spoke about in more than one Hadith and the Day of Resurrection will not come without the victory of the believers [the Muslims] over the descendents of the monkeys and pigs [the Jews] and with their annihilation.”

and

The courageous over the infidels, make war for Allah and are not afraid… This is the depiction of the Army of Allah that will come at Allah’s decree, from here or from there, to liberate these lands from the defilement of the Jews, for Allah was angry with them in his book and called them once ‘monkeys’, once ‘swine’, and once ‘donkeys’.”