Brit Tzedek v’Shalom

Jewish Alliance for Justice and Peace

The Jewish World
Letter to the Editor

September 2006
Jack Alexander

Israel and its supporters are in treacherous waters these days; good judgment and resolve are needed. Brit Tzedek v'Shalom believes that Israel has the right to defend itself against those who kill and abduct Israeli soldiers and send rockets into Israel. We also believe that destroying the civilian infrastructures of Lebanon and Gaza is self-defeating. Time and again the use of force to make the Palestinian and Lebanese populations turn against extremists has backfired and produced the opposite result.

Hezbollah has an estimated 13,000 rockets. They are distributed throughout Shiite parts of Lebanon in homes, factories, and caves. Estimates of Hezbollah troop size vary widely, but there is a huge pool of recruits in the Shiite Population. In Gaza, Hamas members are thoroughly interwoven in the society. Under these circumstances, it behooves those who speak of crippling or defeating Hezbollah and Hamas to specify exactly what constitutes crippling or defeat, and how it is to be achieved.

There must be a realistic understanding of both the value and the limits of military action. Many Israeli commentators recognize that there can be no purely military solution to the attacks Israeli faces. Military force, unaccompanied by serious diplomatic efforts will not succeed, and will only lead to ever higher humanitarian costs in Israel, Lebanon, and Gaza.

Therefore Brit supports a strong diplomatic effort by the US and the international community to achieve an immediate ceasefire, release Israeli soldiers and implement UN Resolution 1559.

Jack Alexander
Chairman, Capital District Chapter
The Jewish Alliance for Justice & Peace