To the Editor: It was very troubling to read the first line of last week's Justice article entitled, "Students Explore Study Abroad Options Outside Israel," which read "The Intifada, the Palestinian uprising against Israel military occupancy which began in the Middle East two years ago . " It is unfortunate that the misuse of the phrases "Occupied Territories" and "Intifada" have invaded not only the Justice, but also the average Brandeis student's vocabulary.

Touching on the surface of the history of the disputed territory, one must first understand the area now known as the West Bank has historically been inhabited by Jews and Arabs. In 1967, Israel had no choice but to enter the West Bank to avoid defeat in a defensive war, and thus, the entry and subsequent administration of the territories was legal. In addition, since the West Bank was under Jordanian control from 1948 to 1967, but never existed as a sovereign nation, Israel could not be deemed an "occupier" of foreign land.

One must recognize that after the West Bank was captured by the Israeli Defense Forces, Israel has attempted to make several agreements to return nearly all of the land with defensible borders in return for peace. However, the fact that the disputed territories may become the eventual site of a Palestinian state highlights Israel's willingness to make significant compromises for peace, and in no way nullifies Jewish historical ties to the land.
The events which have transpired in the last two years are very unfortunate. Because of the actions of several terrorist
organizations operating in the West Bank, the Israeli government has taken strict measures to protect its citizens. Undoubtedly, the curfews and travel restrictions on Palestinians are imposing, but Israel is doing an effective job at preventing more suicide bombings of dance clubs, pizza parlors, ice cream shops and cafes.

There is no comparison between being killed by a suicide bomber with nails laced with rat poison and being confined to one's home. If only the Palestinian Authority had used its rule for the past several years over 97 percent of the Palestinian population and the $1.3 billion dollar bank account of Yasser Arafat to decry terrorism, improve its population's standard of living and educate for peace, the region might be in a better situation and Israeli incursion unnecessary.

I encourage the Justice, other Brandeis publications, professors and student organizations to not refer to the West Bank as the "Occupied Territories" since to date, there has never been an Israeli occupation. Instead, I suggest they use the terms "West Bank," "Judea and Samaria," or as our Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, refers to the region, "disputed territories."
Also, the word "Intifada" is commonly used in the United States media to mean "uprising." But, according to the Islamic Religious Council, translation of the word reveals its true meaning: "Shake," "tremble," or "shiver." Instead, I prefer, as many others do, to refer to the last two years in the Middle East as "the violence," or "guerrilla war," which more accurately describe the terroristic objectives of the conflict.

I look forward to much more discussion of this topic, in which those that are interested will develop a deeper understanding of the roots of the conflict and the current situation.

-- Jonathan Waldstreicher '05 Secretary, Zionists for Historical Veracity (ZaHaV)