Jonathan Freedland (Amid the bloodshed, Palestinians and Israelis are giving up on themselves, 9 April) looks but doesn’t see, reports but doesn’t understand. The developments he reports do not mean that “Palestinians and Israelis are giving up on themselves”, with its subtext that both peoples are intransigent and share responsibility for the impasse. They are rather reflections of the deep cause of the seemingly endless conflict, which is that Palestinians are not willing to forego their acknowledged right under international law and common decency to their own state in the occupied Palestinian territories, while this current and all previous rightwing Israeli governments have been intent on expanding Israel into the territories.

The recurring episodes of violence are the inevitable consequence of 48 years of illegal occupation and settlement-building. Palestinians resist and Israel represses them, and it regularly escalates. No doubt today’s young Palestinians also remember Binyamin Netanyahu’s election eve video, when he promised his supporters that a Palestinian state would never come into being while he was prime minister. The only surprising thing about his promise was that he said it openly.

Offering to restart negotiations “without preconditions”, as Mr Netanyahu does ad infinitum, is disingenuous. It is intended to deny the international validity of the pre-1967 borders and the 78%-22% division of the land that they represent. The Palestinian Liberation Organisation long ago made its historic concession of giving up 78% of Palestine. It cannot be expected to concede more territory. Mr Netanyahu and his even more rightwing government partner should be asked why they think 78% of the land isn’t enough for Israel.

Arthur Goodman

Parliamentary and diplomatic officer, Jews for Justice for Palestinians

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