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To the Editor:
Before Israel began its ground operation in Gaza, it was in a “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” position.
Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran and others have made no secret of wanting to destroy Israel. Any nation (including the United States) would react if attacked by a neighboring entity, especially one aiming to destroy it.
In attacking Gaza, however, Israel most likely will lose in the American and world court of public opinion — and ultimately could lose United States backing, a disaster for Israel. It might not survive without it.
The substantial increase in antisemitic acts being committed in the United States and other countries contributes to this worrisome dynamic.
I have always been an Israeli peace advocate: in favor of a two-state solution and Israel’s Labor Party; against settlement expansion, Benjamin Netanyahu and Likud.
Before my retirement in 2005, I was on the steering committee of the National Interfaith Initiative for Peace in the Middle East. I lived in Israel for a year. My wife and I have visited many times. We have decades-long friendships with Israelis who are part of the peace movement.
I care about the innocent lives being lost on both sides. It is, however, the Oct. 7 vicious acts committed by Hamas, the taking of hostages and Hamas embedding itself within civilian housing, including at least one of Gaza’s major hospitals, that have caused the loss of lives in Gaza. Hamas is Israel’s enemy and the enemy of the people of Gaza.
(Rabbi) Paul Menitoff
Stockbridge, Mass.
The writer is executive vice president emeritus of the Central Conference of American Rabbis.
To the Editor:
Re “‘Our Souls Mean Nothing at All,’” by Nicholas Kristof (column, Oct. 29):
The headline of Mr. Kristof’s moving column, pulled from a direct quote from a young Gazan woman, is a devastating and accurate assessment of the carnage that continues in an area that has seen more than enough suffering in multiple centuries.
Mr. Kristof’s stellar journalism is rooted in his ability to collect poignant voices of those directly affected by humanity’s shortcomings. Politicians, diplomats and any citizen who would like to see a cease-fire and to see international law respected should heed what a Gaza teenager stated about her horrible inheritance: “It’s like we are overpaying the price for a sin we didn’t commit.”
This wise statement is applicable to all the civilians and innocents, Israeli and Palestinian, who are caught in the crossfire of one of the thorniest and deadliest geopolitical issues of the modern era.
Mr. Kristof wraps this poignant piece up by admitting that he does not have all the answers, but he does pose an important question: “What policies will reduce the risk, not inflame it, while honoring the intrinsic value of Palestinian life as well as Israeli life?”
We can only hope that the major political players work diligently to answer that question so the Middle East and the greater world move toward a lasting peace and not the nihilistic destruction that is unbearable for those trapped there.
Matt Tanguay
Ann Arbor, Mich.
To the Editor:
Nicholas Kristof’s recent columns deliver impassioned pleas on behalf of Gaza’s endangered children.
The road to their salvation lies not with reproof of Israel; Israel’s first responsibility is to her citizens. Hope for Gaza lies with Gazans.
Let the Gazan masses demand the immediate, unconditional surrender of all Hamas and Islamic Jihad kingpins; the immediate, unconditional release of all hostages; and the immediate, unconditional liberation of over two million civilians from the grip of manipulative, savage overlords.
If you care for Gaza and for her children of today and of tomorrow, don’t appeal to Israel — appeal to Gaza.
Sheldon Stohl
Beersheba, Israel
To the Editor:
Re “Netanyahu Finds Himself at War in Gaza and at Home” (news article, nytimes.com, Oct. 29):
In assigning blame for Israel’s recent security lapse, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would do well to look at himself. Apart from its happening on his watch, the judicial coup he was staging proved the perfect distraction for Hamas to exploit.
Bruce Ellerstein
New York
Matthew Perry Was More Than a ‘Friend’
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