A.B. Yehoshua's Oct. 25 article, "A thousand prisoners for one," fails to mention that Israel's great need for security (hence its many wars) is largely due to its conquest of Palestine, which was primarily settled by Arabs, and replacing them with Jewish immigrants who largely came from Europe. Neither does he mention the fact that Gaza is seen internationally as an outdoor concentration camp or prison for 1.5 million Arabs, most of whom are refugees.
If Israel treated its Arab citizens, residents and neighbors the way they treat their Jewish citizens, there would be little to no need for security.
This article was a good example of Israel's propaganda campaign against its detractors, an attempt to present itself in the most glowing of terms and its Arab opponents as a pack of barbarians. If the situation weren't so tragic, Yehoshua's article would be funny.
The opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are the writer's own and do not necessarily reflect the policies of The Japan Times.
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