Indefensible defense

by Andrew Swift, DI editorial writer

The DI reported the Hillel Foundation met Wednesday night to "raise money for the Israeli Defense Forces." The lede appears innocuous enough, but it presents a potentially disturbing idea.

Since 1967, the Defense Force has occupied the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip (which it withdrew from last year.) This occupation is in complete violation of international law; if not for numerous U.S. vetoes at the United Nations Security Council, Israel would have been seriously reprimanded by the international community numerous times.

Granted, the money raised would be used for a "dinner party or weekend vacation away from the tedium of military service." Military service in the West Bank may truly be tedious - manning dozens of checkpoints and protecting extremist Zionist settlers is surely outrageously boring.

Violence is not, and will never be, the answer to this conflict, and donations to either side for military purposes is wrong. The Hillel Foundation should send its fundraising toward groups working to bring peace to Israel and Palestine.