Israel 6-12-2002

12, June 2002 Response to local letters RE: Israel
Letters from the Kaye's, Mr. Segal, and Sheree Roth (Wednesday June 12) clearly show their collective bias. There seems to be a disturbing trend to stifle debate on the misguided belief that criticism of Israel is anti-Semitic. Nothing could be further from the truth. Blatant support for the cruel policies of the Israeli government have contributed and indeed encouraged the persecution and oppression of the Palestinian people. The actions of suicide bombers are indefensible and morally repugnant. Likewise the Israeli state sponsored terrorism, unleashed on the Palestinians, is morally repugnant and needs to be strongly condemned. It is a pity that the Jewish people who have been victimized and oppressed for centuries should now become the oppressors and deny the aspirations of the Palestinians for their homeland.

Israeli forces have demolished the Palestinian infrastructure, disrupted supplies of water, food and medical supplies, destroyed independent televisions stations, the airport, bulldozed homes, killing the occupants. A disproportionate number of Palestinians have been killed with US taxpayer supplied tanks and helicopter gunships. On many occasions Israeli forces refused to allow wounded Palestinians to be removed to hospitals. It is this callous disregard for human life that has earned Israel, and its backer the United States, opprobrium in many parts of the world. Large swaths of land have been seized from the Palestinians to create illegal settlements which have been a major bone of contention and hindered the peace process. Sharon promised to call a halt to new settlements but has orchestrated the construction of 34 new settlements since he has assumed power. Can this action be construed as a peace offering to the Palestinians?

The Kaye's, Mr. Segal and Sheree Roth need to do some serious soul searching and take heed of Ben Eliezer, who threatened to resign over the invasion of Ramallah and the courageous actions of Israeli reservists who signed statements refusing to serve in the West Bank and Gaza Strip because Israel's policies 'were involved in dominating, starving and humiliating an entire people'.