To refute what Marcus says does not necessitate attacks on his persona, but a systematic refuation, point by point, of his claims. The fact that you “find no evidence” does not mean that these is none, but that either you did not look in the right places (precisely referenced by Marcus) or you did not want to see it. Sontag is the last witness I would bring, for one thing because she does not understand Arabic and she certainly cannot judge what is said in a classroom.

Going back to the mentality of victim and whining about the poor Palestinian kids who are killed and besieged, does not address the issue either. Because they are killed when they go to the frontlines to confront soldiers with rocks (which kill) or incendiary bombs (which burn), instead of going to school or being at home where no Israeli soldier pursues them.

The siege began after the intifadah broke out, not before. The siege is NOT against the children but against the saboteurs who smuggle their men and ammunition from town to town, and it is the right and duty of the Israeli army to monitor them. In the process, many innocent people are hurt, including children, and that is very painful. Instead of expecting the whole world to pay for your self-inflicted miseries, roll up your sleeves and start working. You make children and expect the UN to feed them. You set up 13 various security apparatuses and want the donor countries to finance them. You spend the little money you have on arms and corruption and want the Arabs and the Americans to foot the bill.

Stop the violence, send people back to work, absorb and settle down your refugees the way Israel did instead of feeding them with the illusions of the right of return, and perhaps there is hope.

Educating for violence is only one aspect of this unfortunate situation. One first has to heal the refugee state of mind which thinks that the world owes you everything instead of taking your fate in your hands and start doing something about it by eradicating corruption and hatred and begin to think and act constructively.

The writer is a senior professor at the Truman Center for the Advancement of Peace at the Hebrew University.

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