Dear Editor,

During the vice presidential debate on Oct. 2, Joe Biden and Sarah Palin were asked what the Bush administration has done right regarding Israel. While both offered interesting commentaries on the current situation in the Middle East, neither was able to offer significant insight. Both sought to shore up the Jewish vote with a moment of unadulterated praise for the Jewish state. While affection for our strongest ally in the Middle East is admirable, it is not the solution to a conflict that has cost the lives of countless Israelis and Palestinians. Expressing our admiration for Israel will not relieve the constant fear of rocket attack for Israelis living in Sderot, and it certainly will not make the constant burden of checkpoints and settler violence any more bearable for the Palestinians. We need an administration that will ensure the Palestinian terrorist infrastructure is dismantled, that Israeli settlement activity in the West Bank freezes and that both sides mutually agree on borders and Jerusalem, leading to a two-state solution.

Current leader of the Palestinian National Authority Mahmoud Abbas has been called the most moderate, and most willing to compromise, leader in Palestinian history. He has made a marked effort to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure in the West Bank, transforming cities such as Jenin, once hotbeds of terrorist activity, into places of relative security. Former Prime Minister of Israel Ariel Sharon has noted, “To hold 3.5 million Palestinians under occupation…I believe that is a terrible thing for Israel and for the Palestinians.” His point was reiterated by exiting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who said, “[Israel] should withdraw from almost all of the territories, including in East Jerusalem and in the Golan Heights.” Incoming Prime Minister of Israel Tzipi Livni has vowed to continue the peace talks that began in Annapolis last year. Leaders in Palestine, Israel and the United States have settled on a two-state solution as the only conceivable end—the only question is when? We need an administration that will commit to peace and not insult the Israelis and Palestinians dying in the region with an empty moment of praise. We need peace now.

Robert Fares
Class of 2010

Robert is president of Students for Peaceful Palestinian-Israeli Future.