The overly astute among you may notice that I've been taking advantage of a little bug to catch up on the last several newsletters from Israel Insider. I encourage you to visit their website.
Recently, the British Ambassador to Israel, Sherard Cowper-Coles, was quoted as accusing Israel of having "reduced the West Bank and the Gaza Strip to two vast detention camps," among other things. This open letter to the Ambassador, written by Israel Insider publisher Reuven Koret, is worth a special trip. When Jewish refugees from European concentration camps tried to find a place to call home, the British put them in detention camps in northern Israel, in Cyprus, and elsewhere. Auschwitz survivors bound for the Jewish homeland found themselves behind British barbed wire. While acknowledging Israel's security concerns and the fact that any relaxation of travel restrictions involved a risk of a resumption of terrorism, you argued: "All recent history shows that the best way of tackling terrorism is to separate the men of evil from the population which supports them." Catholic residents of Northern Ireland no doubt appreciate the fine distinction, and British forces occupying the zone no doubt are reassured by the ease with which the distinction can be made. In London, a Foreign Office spokesman said your remarks accurately reflected the policy of the British government. Britain, he said, had "grave concerns about the economic, human rights and security situation" on the West Bank and in Gaza, and particularly strong concerns about the effect of the construction of a wall separating Palestinians from Israel. Against walls? A capital idea, Mr. Ambassador! As you know, the idea of a separation wall or fence is being pushed by the Israeli left as a stopgap measure to stop the unbearable flow of Palestinian bombers and killers into our town and cities. And even that is too much for you? Well, please, set a positive example! We look forward to the tearing down of the walls surrounding British embassies and residences around the world, starting with your own. Plenty of Israelis, no doubt, would love to come by your fenceless embassy and share their memories of British detention camps. You can also expect visits from the families of more than 600 terror fatalities in the past two years, and tens of thousands of innocent people maimed and crippled by those Palestinian "men of evil" (and women too) who cheerfully take advantage of each relaxation in the security pressure your nation and others force upon us. And if those "men of evil" visit you in your un-walled and un-fenced embassy, I am sure that you and your guards will be able to separate them easily (and politely!) from "the population that supports them."In response to your remarks, an Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman mildly reminded you that "the British Mandate was over," referring to the days when the Britannia ruled the region. The implication was that the time for imperial arrogance had passed, but the reference to the Mandatory period may have another reference, one which you might prefer to forget, but which remains fresh and painful in the collective memories of our people.
