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Israel's Open Road

(National Post-Canada) Editorial - Last Tuesday, Israel's supreme court ordered that country's government to reopen a major commuter highway to Palestinian motorists. Highway 443 carries 40,000 vehicles a day between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. The ruling is representative of how mightily Israel struggles to balance its own security needs with the rights of West Bank and Gaza Palestinians. The road was closed to Palestinians in 2002 when, during the second intifada, five Israeli motorists were killed by snipers within a matter of weeks. The Israeli government has spent nearly $3 billion building Palestinians a parallel highway system on which there were no checkpoints to delay their trips. Consider this: The case was brought by an Israeli human rights group paid for by donations from Israelis, argued in an Israeli court, and decided by Israeli judges. The decision will now be adhered to by the Israeli cabinet and military. Considering that Jews may be shot merely for walking down a Palestinian street - and there are no Palestinian human rights groups or courts to which they can appeal - Israeli efforts to treat Palestinians with respect, despite the many hundreds of attempted terrorist attacks launched each year from the West Bank and Gaza, are exemplary.
2010-01-05 10:05:12
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