We are all created equal; our rights emanate from the creator, not from the political state. Since 750,000 Palestinians were forced from their homes in the 1940s, displaced into Gaza and the West Bank, growing despair and deplorable living conditions have ensued. Countless peace negotiations on a two-state solution have failed. This is evidence that Israel has no intention of giving back land to the Palestinians.
Israeli settlement building in Palestine is up 130 percent during U.S. President Barack Obama’s administration. The U.S. perpetuates the problem, increasing foreign aid to Israel ($2.994 billion in 2011 to $3.1 billion in 2013), notwithstanding additional lethal arms.
Any politician who refuses to call Gaza occupied territory under international law is guilty of political pandering. The recent disproportionate use of Israeli military force against the civilian Palestinian population should not be tolerated by any civilized nations.
The conflict started when Israeli snipers murdered two unarmed Palestinian teens in May. No one supports violence by Hamas or Israeli Zionist extremists. But the thousands of targeted attacks on Gaza with almost 2,000 Palestinians versus 67 Israelis killed, 7,000 Palestinians wounded, more than 200,000 Palestinians displaced and the destruction in Gaza shows Israel’s lopsided response.
America’s politicians should be ashamed of their continued, unabashed support for one side only.
— Deborah K. Smarth,
Manalapan