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Israel must admit wrongdoing

Dear Editor:

Israel has no right to “teach” anyone a lesson, or to “eradicate” anyone. Israel has ignored the U.N. and the international courts so many times, it is Israel who needs a “lesson” or “lessons” in international behavior.

Thomas Friedman’s column “Israel’s goals in Gaza” on Jan. 15 was cold and inhumane. His question was: “What is the goal? Is it the education of Hamas or the eradication of Hamas?” Apparently it was both. The fighting is over for now. Israel can claim victory and gloat over the suffering and destruction it has inflicted on Hamas and Gaza.



Friedman thought Israel might be “… trying to educate Hamas by inflicting a heavy death toll on Hamas militants and heavy pain on the Gaza population.” Heavy pain! “1,284 Gazans were killed and 4,336 wounded, the vast majority civilians.” ” Karin Laub, Associated Press. Not to mention hundreds of millions, if not billions, of dollars of physical destruction of property, including the U.N.’s storehouse of food and medications. That’s education?!

Prior to the actual donation of land in Palestine to the Jewish settlers by the U.N., and prior to the creation of the Israeli State, David Ben Gurion led the planning of the ethnic cleansing of that land to make possible the Jewish religious democratic state. Jewish terrorist organizations, Irgun, The Stern Gang, Palmach and others, executed the plan. They threatened and massacred Palestinians and demolished towns to terrorize the indigenous people to flee.




Years passed, wars were fought. Israel defeated the Arabs and the Palestinians. Palestinians still resented the donation of part of their homeland to Israel with no discussion with them and with no payment by Israel for the land, orchards, homes, businesses, etc., taken from them. Israel occupied the West Bank and Gaza. It began to build settlements in both places, and continues to build in the West Bank.

This too is terrorism. The Israeli Defense Forces are everywhere, at checkpoints and on patrol. Israeli-only paved roads divide the country. Palestinians cross on overpasses and must stop at every checkpoint. An illegal wall is being built around and, in places, into the West Bank. Palestinian lands are confiscated, orchards ripped up, farms divided, etc. Yes, suicide bombers attacked Israel. That was and is wrong, but the wrongs done by the Israelis are greater.

Hamas has not forgotten.

If Israel wants peace, it must admit horrors it committed during its ethnic cleansing of what is now the state of Israel. It must pay for the land it was “given” by the U.N.

Peter Larrowe

El Jebel