Israelis should have taken offer
Monday January 19 2009
Kevin Myers argues that the Israelis have accepted a two state solution and want to live in peace (Irish Independent, January 16).
If Israel wanted peace they would have accepted the Arab League offer in 2002 in Beirut which offered full peace and normalisation of relations in return for Israel abiding by their obligations under international law. This would mean a withdrawal to the pre-June 1967 borders. This was supported by all 22 members of the Arab League including the Palestinian Authority delegation and has been repeatedly offered to Israel.
So Israel was offered full peace for abiding by the 2004 International Court of Justice decision, calling all settlements in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem illegal under international law.
This was reaffirmed by the UN General Assembly which endorsed this ruling by 150 votes to six.
This is also called for in UN Security Council Resolutions 267, 446, 452, 465, 476 and 478. However Israel never abided by these resolutions and decisions.
Perhaps if Israel accepted the Arab League offer in 2002 and abided by the ICJ, General Assembly and Security Council decisions Hamas would not have been elected in 2006 and we would be seeing the dawn of a comprehensive peace.
Charles st George
Corbally, Limerick
