Regarding “The West Bank is under military occupation, and that’s a fact” by Jessica Montell (April 10), Jessica Montell, executive director of B’Tselem, and the rest of her group have for years stated that the West Bank is occupied territory. But in order for a place to be occupied, there must have been a sovereign nation there in the first place to be occupied. That is not the case here. There has been no such sovereign nation in the West Bank area for hundreds of years.
Remarkably, B’Tselem has softened its attacks but now accuses Israel of “military occupation.” Israel does have military control of the territory to minimize the Palestinian proclivity to strap on bombs and detonate themselves in Israeli restaurants, discos and hotels. The military control is beneficial to both sides: to Israel for security and for the Palestinians, preventing terrorist organization Hamas from taking over.
Montell concludes that Palestinians are “subject to the whims of a government they did not elect and have no ability to influence.” With this I agree. Clearly she is referring to the corrupt government of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Abbas, one of the richest people in the region, was elected to a four-year term. Instead, he unilaterally re-elected himself, extending his term to the present. No new elections are planned in the near future.
MICHAEL BERENHAUS
Potomac
