Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site brl-tgr.ARPA Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!brl-tgr!wmartin From: wmartin@brl-tgr.ARPA (Will Martin ) Newsgroups: net.politics Subject: Re: Peace in the Middle East Message-ID: <5361@brl-tgr.ARPA> Date: Wed, 17-Oct-84 14:35:54 EDT Article-I.D.: brl-tgr.5361 Posted: Wed Oct 17 14:35:54 1984 Date-Received: Thu, 18-Oct-84 19:10:31 EDT References: <235@cadovax.UUCP> Organization: Ballistic Research Lab Lines: 25 > > The Israelis have the responsibility of returning the Golan Heights to > the Syrians, the West Bank to the Palestinians, and the Gaza Strip to > the Egyptians. Every now and then, I read a statement like this. It is always a mystery to me how anybody can rationally claim this sort of thing. The Israelis WON, dammit! They have no obligation or duty to "return" captured territory to any defeated enemies. They can do what they damn well please with any territory they can hold by force of arms. If they want to withdraw from occupied territory and cede it back to the state which held it prior to the war(s), they can. That is up to them. It is NOT up to us to tell them to do this. Wanting the situation to be restored to what it was like before the wars were fought is a symptom of the modern attitude that no one should suffer for their mistakes. It is like this was some sort of game being played for money with the understanding that, after the game ends, everybody gets their original money back. Nobody loses. War is not like that. The Arab states that fought Israel made a mistake. It is right and proper that they suffer for making those mistakes. Will Martin