Ethnic separation: a recipe for conflict

Sir,
Yoel Gabriel from Tel Aviv stated in his letter of February 16 that, “Surely its better for all for Cyprus to stay divided”. However, the opposite conclusion can be reached if we examine ethnic problems in other states.

For example, apartheid in South Africa was based on the same legal principles used to justify the partition of Cyprus, i.e. one territory may be inhabited by various peoples, each of which have the separate right of self determination. Hence, laws based on race such as the abandonment of the principle of one-man-one-vote are justified on the grounds of the right of self-determination. However, when the international community unambiguously rejected this argument, and forced South Africa to end apartheid, it put South Africa on the road to a peace.

Another example is the African-American community of the Southern states of the USA. By rejecting the policy of segregation in the 1960s, racial conflicts have been substantially reduced and today the Secretary of State is an African American.

Consider the partitions of Ireland and India which resulted in many deaths and continue to generate conflict today. The Hindus and Muslims now have their own states but today there is a real possibility that ay any moment nuclear war may break out between India and Pakistan. However, by bringing the Irish and British states closer together in the EU, the Irish problem is drawing to a close.

Also consider the collapse of Yugoslavia, which broke up under ethnic lines. The Croats, Serbs and others now have their own states but Yugoslavia fell from being one of the richest East European states to one of the poorest. Compare this with the collapse of the USSR which did not break up under ethnic lines. The former Soviet republic of Latvia, with a Russian minority of 40 per cent is now one of the fastest growing counties in the EU.

Finally consider Israel. Even though most of the Arab population was driven out in 1948 in order to create a state with a Jewish character, Israel still does not live in peace. As the Palestinians refuse to be assimilated into other Arab states the US policy will lead to a permanent Arab-Israeli conflict. The latest peace talks collapsed because Israel refused to accept the right of return as required by UN General Assembly Resolution 194, “[Palestinian] refugees wishing to return to their homes and live at peace with their neighbours should be permitted to do so at the earliest practical date”.

Can the Palestinians return? Demographic analysis of Israel shows that the concentration of Jews today is largely in and around pre-1948 Jewish land and that the expropriated Palestinian land is still sparsely populated.

Can Jews and Arabs live together? Until the creation of the Jewish State, for hundreds of years Jews have fled persecution in Europe to live in Muslim states which are obliged to show them respect as one of the “peoples of the book”.

Surly, it is better for all, if Israel rejected its racial laws and became a democracy by accepting the right of return as required by UN General Assembly Resolution 194.
Panos Gregory, Croydon, UK

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.