Henry Clifford of COPIP Responds to Article on Scarsdale10583

We received the following comment from Henry Clifford, Chair of the Committee for Peace in Israel/Palestine about an article on billboards the group sponsored that are now posted at Westchester Metro North train stations. According to their website, COPIP advocates a two-state solution to the conflict in the Middle East ― a complete withdrawal by Israel from the Occupied Territories, an autonomous and contiguous state for the Palestinians, an end to violence on both sides, and mutually recognized, secure borders for both countries.

Here are Mr. Clifford’s comments on the article:

As the sponsor of the MTA posters that introduced the discussion (wars) and Chairman of COPIP I ask to comment on your coverage of 8/14/12 which has just come to my attention.

- You describe our committee as "an anti-Israel group." Your charge is baseless and false. The founding members of our committee were one half Christian and one half Jewish.

- You state that "the posters contended that Israel had taken Palestinian land . . ." We contend nothing, we present the historical and geographical fact which can be obtained from UN, Israeli, and Palestinian documentation.

- The newer posters "contend" 19,250 deadly Islamic attacks with no source or proof provided which contention you evidently accept without question. Regardless of any other consideration or red herring the fact remains that the Palestinians have lost most of their homeland. There is no spin that can obviate that fact.