John Lyons’ report “Settlers fuel cycle of bloodshed” (Australian, 22-23/11) clearly shows that Israeli leadership is the real culprit in the continuing Israel-Palestine conflict. When a people are forced to live under a brutal military occupation, they have no choice but to rebel against the illegal occupation of their lands. The violence begets violence.
Systemic Israeli violence against the Palestinians was one of the triggers of the 9/11 attack. The retaliatory invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq by the US and its allies, which has caused the killing of over a million Iraqis, has led to the creation of Islamic State.
Lyons points out that an independentPalestine is the solution. Strangely, the US cannot promote this solution because of the stranglehold of the Israel lobby on the Congress. The democratic process in the US is corrupted by the same group that promotes the ongoing ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from West Bank and Gaza. Economic boycott of Israel is a fair and legitimate means to force Israel to comply with international law. Australia should take the lead on this move and encourage the West to follow. The West has already paid too high a price for Israeli intransigence.
– Bill Mathew, CLA member, Parkville Vic