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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