To the Editor:
I am writing in response to the letter titled "Educate Yourself" by Linda Swenberg '89, printed on April 18, 2002 in The Dartmouth.
In the letter, Ms. Swenberg suggests that Dartmouth students are misinformed about events in Israel and Palestine because they rely on information "filtered by the U.S. media." As a result, Dartmouth students fail to realize "that most of the Palestinian dead are definite combatants -- suicide bombers, Palestinians killed during assaults on Israeli forces, etc." Finally, Ms. Swenberg writes: "Dartmouth students, I urge you to stay completely informed of the situation if you are interested in a truly enlightened discourse. As a start, I would recommend that you go straight to the source and use the Internet to read the Israeli papers ."
I respond with three comments.
First of all, alumni and alumnae of Dartmouth have no basis to suggest current students are too ignorant to have an "enlightened discourse." The recent op-ed pages of The Dartmouth have shown a wide range of knowledge and understanding. The students deserve our congratulations for attempting to take on these difficult questions, not our condemnation.
Second, Palestinian civilians are dying at an alarming rate. While the causes of this violence are debatable, the results simply are not. On Friday, April 19, a 14-year old and a nine-year old were killed by Israeli fire. While I commend Israel for instructing its soldiers against killing civilians, I think action speaks louder than words: since 2000, Israeli soldiers have killed hundreds of Palestinian civilians, including at least 13 Arab citizens of Israel. To date, Israel has not prosecuted soldiers for illegal conduct leading to the death of civilians. In other words, Israeli policy is "try not to kill civilians, but don't really worry if you do."
Finally, Israeli papers, such as the right-wing Jerusalem Post, are not "the source" of news from this conflict. Thousands of international correspondents cover Israel and Palestine. Their sources are as accurate as the Israeli press, and they are more likely to tell the truth.
For example, on April 12, 1984, Avraham Shalom, the then-head of the Shin Bet intelligence agency, ordered his men to beat two Palestinian prisoners to death, which they did with a combination of fists, rifle butts and stones. The Israeli Defense Force reported that the two prisoners had died on the way to the hospital. The Israeli newspaper Ma'ariv had evidence to indicate that the two men had been taken into custody unharmed yet did not report it. Only after the New York Times published a story questioning the incident did the Israeli Government investigate (Thomas Friedman, "From Beirut to Jerusalem," 1989).
The Israeli press offers an alternative source, not a superior source. Quality papers and wire services from around the globe, such as The New York Times, The London Times, the BBC and South Africa's Mail and Guardian are also alternatives. While no news source can be completely objective, sources from a variety of places and cultures offer their readers a thorough perspective.
If you want to know how the Sharon government views the world, read the Jerusalem Post. However, if you want to view this conflict through your own eyes, read everything from Thomas Friedman to Edward Said, and come to your own conclusions.
Getting a Broad Perspective
To the Editor:
I am writing in response to the letter titled "Educate Yourself" by Linda Swenberg '89, printed on April 18, 2002 in The Dartmouth.
In the letter, Ms. Swenberg suggests that Dartmouth students are misinformed about events in Israel and Palestine because they rely on information "filtered by the U.S. media." As a result, Dartmouth students fail to realize "that most of the Palestinian dead are definite combatants -- suicide bombers, Palestinians killed during assaults on Israeli forces, etc." Finally, Ms. Swenberg writes: "Dartmouth students, I urge you to stay completely informed of the situation if you are interested in a truly enlightened discourse. As a start, I would recommend that you go straight to the source and use the Internet to read the Israeli papers ."
I respond with three comments.
First of all, alumni and alumnae of Dartmouth have no basis to suggest current students are too ignorant to have an "enlightened discourse." The recent op-ed pages of The Dartmouth have shown a wide range of knowledge and understanding. The students deserve our congratulations for attempting to take on these difficult questions, not our condemnation.
Second, Palestinian civilians are dying at an alarming rate. While the causes of this violence are debatable, the results simply are not. On Friday, April 19, a 14-year old and a nine-year old were killed by Israeli fire. While I commend Israel for instructing its soldiers against killing civilians, I think action speaks louder than words: since 2000, Israeli soldiers have killed hundreds of Palestinian civilians, including at least 13 Arab citizens of Israel. To date, Israel has not prosecuted soldiers for illegal conduct leading to the death of civilians. In other words, Israeli policy is "try not to kill civilians, but don't really worry if you do."
Finally, Israeli papers, such as the right-wing Jerusalem Post, are not "the source" of news from this conflict. Thousands of international correspondents cover Israel and Palestine. Their sources are as accurate as the Israeli press, and they are more likely to tell the truth.
For example, on April 12, 1984, Avraham Shalom, the then-head of the Shin Bet intelligence agency, ordered his men to beat two Palestinian prisoners to death, which they did with a combination of fists, rifle butts and stones. The Israeli Defense Force reported that the two prisoners had died on the way to the hospital. The Israeli newspaper Ma'ariv had evidence to indicate that the two men had been taken into custody unharmed yet did not report it. Only after the New York Times published a story questioning the incident did the Israeli Government investigate (Thomas Friedman, "From Beirut to Jerusalem," 1989).
The Israeli press offers an alternative source, not a superior source. Quality papers and wire services from around the globe, such as The New York Times, The London Times, the BBC and South Africa's Mail and Guardian are also alternatives. While no news source can be completely objective, sources from a variety of places and cultures offer their readers a thorough perspective.
If you want to know how the Sharon government views the world, read the Jerusalem Post. However, if you want to view this conflict through your own eyes, read everything from Thomas Friedman to Edward Said, and come to your own conclusions.