Web Letters: Israel's War Crimes

I take serious offense to this article. So let's state the facts. Israel is not in violation of the international law. Israel doesn't target civilians. If you know anything about the topic, you'd know that Operation Cast Lead was a door-to-door, house-to-house operation that merely targeted the Hamas terrorists. Unlike Hamas (who have targeted civilians in Sderot for the last five years), Israel does not want to kill civilians. You failed to mention about the bombing of Sderot--figures, everyone does. You are telling me that Israel is in violation of international law. How is Hamas not? Are you aware that back in March of '01, Israel launched a wall-to-wall operation? They were so afraid of killing civilians that they went wall to wall.

Daniel Sobin

Atlantic Beach, NY

First off, I am not a Jew. I am an Irish-American. I am writing only to give everyone another thought to think over. If the province of Quebec in Canada had some people lobbing missiles into Vermont or any other northern state, what would we do? Many of you expect the Israelis to sit back and take it because it isn't so bad that only thirteen or so died, but what if your child or mother was a part of that thirteen? Would you want Obama to say, "Excuse me terrorists, please stop nicely. I don't know if you realized those missiles had explosives in them."

And to whoever claims all sympathizers are Jewish, your wrong. My name is Peter Donnelly and I am not Jewish; I just know who is at fault: those terrorists in Gaza threatening Israel's very existence.

Peter Donnelly

Syracuse, NY

I find it very hard to believe that any one could (would) attempt to present some logic in stating that "Israel feels threatened"

Notice: I said "logic." Israel, the Zionist-Bolshevik state, has been in a continuing expressive state of "threat" from someone clear back into the Middle Ages! I would ask you, do you honestly find the firing of rockets killing thirteen (13) from Gasa a "threat" deserving of a response that kills 1,400? Or would you possibly have considered a more direct attack on the rocket sites?

Israel is sitting on 550-650 atomic, nuclear and thermonuclear weapons developed with the help of France, South Africa, England, the United States and the Russian black market. There is no country in the Middle East, save Israel, that has even one (1). Who is threatening who?

Boyd Kidd

Las Vegas, NV

There is no defense for Israel’s actions. None of the half-truths, misconceptions and dated references will bring us any closer to peace. On the other hand, one can not criticize Israel either. Those are American planes and weaponry killing those people. Without the approval of the Bush administration, the attacks on the innocent civilians would have ended long ago. The problem is that our Bushites have been giving their Bushites freedom to kill indiscriminately. But then what can we expect of our Bushites? It is no coincidence that the attacks were launched while our evil emperor was still in power. The question is, What will the good guy do when he takes over?

Robert Benvenuti

Rochester, NY

It seems to me that the Palestnians are reaping what they sowed when they elected a hard-line goverment like Hamas. Hamas and the Muslim world think they can intimidate the Israelis with their proxy armies, yet when reality set in and the IDF gave them a taste of their own medicine, they ran to the nearest camera and cried foul.

Mr. Falk and the rest of the liberal ilk may believe the lies of the Palestinian/Muslim crybabies, but the people who live in the real world see right through them. The only thing that the rest of the world should be doing is making damned sure that the Israelis don't run out of bombs and ammunition!

Nowhere else in the world would the actions of a government like Hamas be tolerated. Yet people like Mr. Falk seem to think that the Israelis should be perfectly OK living under this kind of existence.

Wes Sims

Woodward, OK

Mr. Abraham [letter, below] is right--anyone opposing Mr Falk's view is probably Jewish and therefore doesn't understand how the Palestinians suffer. I know no one has explicitly identified themselves as a Jew, but you can pretty much tell based on the names. I mean, come on--Hersch! Schwartz! Quintanilla! Just so we can be absolutely certain, maybe people could start posting pictures? Then there'd be no question whose opinions on the conflict were legitimate, and who was just a vengeful member of the tribe.

I don't usually resort to sarcasm, but Mr. Falk's commentary and some of the reader response demonstrate exactly why Israel uses force to protect herself. The willing blindness to Hamas's (and Iran's) intentions toward Israel is shameful in its own right, and frightening given the violence such complacency has allowed in the not-so-distant past. If Al Qaeda gained control of Mexico or Canada, what would US citizens consider a reasonable response? Would we be crying out for diplomacy, hand-shaking, partnership?

R. Porter

New York, NY

After reading many of the posts I was shocked by the angry opposition to this article. Clearly, many of you, being Jewish, strongly support what Israel is doing. Some reference the need to put yourselves in the shoes of Israeli citizens being threatened by missiles, others point to Hamas's publicly declared goal of destroying Israel.

It is quite interesting that many who articulated these real concerns did not express any significant empathy for what the Palestinian people are suffering. As a people, having experienced much suffering, it would seem that placing oneself in the shoes of the "other" would definitely be a possibility. On the other hand, the "never again" alternative, along with "whatever it takes," seems to be the most operative alternative opted for by most. In this latter alternative--the "whatever it takes" one--ethical boundaries may become blurred. It's important for you, who vehemently denounce the article, to recognize this.

Also, it has become increasingly clear to me, especially since the Bush administration deceived the American people and undertook an illegal war bringing devastation to Iraq, that we need to be vigilant to being duped by government manipulation and a press that plays a cheer leading role. It is clear to me that those of you who are Jewish should be especially sensitive to this over-hyped nationalism, which leads the people of that nation to do terrible things to the "other." I do take the time to point out what Germany did. There are many more modern-day examples of such extreme behavior brought on by those leaders who have preyed upon the fears, both conscious and unconscious, and the deep-seated biases of its people.

Why do I write this? If you are truly seeking to be just and wish all peoples, whoever they are, to be able to live a human life, freely, and according to their human potential, then it is incumbent upon you to throw off the shackles in which nationalism oftentimes imprisons us. Doing this would require that you go back to objective sources and study the history of the Israeli/Palestinian in a dispassionate way. Perhaps by doing this you would come to recognize that Palestinians deserve a day in court. In fact, you might even take up the fight for a Palestinian state with the Israeli government. By doing so, and if you were successful, it is my judgment that you would not only be doing a wonderful thing for the Palestinian people but also for Israel and world Shalom/Salam.

In the end, you might discover that all the Palestinians ever wanted was a state to call their own, an olive grove to grow olives--a place to raise their children in peace. You might also discover that they are wonderful neighbors, who, together with the Israelis, could build the region into a booming economic block.

It's really not that complex: give the Palestinians a contiguous state! Israel is in the driver's seat. It can and must be done. This is the change we really need!

john abraham

Aurora, Ontario, Canada

Israelis do not tolerate casualties.

If diaspora Jews were at risk of being murdered for every Palestinian killed, the genocide would cease. I mean immediately.

One dead Jew in, say, Canoga Park or Brussels--for every dead Palestinian.

The war would be over... and Israelis and diaspora Jews would learn that collective punishment cuts both ways.

Jack Thomsen

Telluride, CO

What is this stupid little kabuki dance of Israel? This has little to do with peace or self-protection. The Israel blockade left little choice of the Palistinians except to lob stupid little homemade rockets into the air. They had the same accuracy of the Scud and very little explosive power. Israel wants the Gaza Strip and doesn't give a damn how many people they kill. Israel has gone from being world-class heroes to common thugs.

JAMES PINETTE

Caribou, ME

The justification that Israel is responding to rocket attacks is a dishonest ploy and a myth, and I'll tell you why.

It is said that Hamas violated the cease-fire, that the Israeli bombardment is a response to Palestinian rocket fire and is designed to end such rocket attacks. But Israel never observed the cease-fire to begin with. From the beginning, it announced a “special security zone” within the Gaza Strip and announced that Palestinians who enter this zone would be fired upon. In other words, Israel announced its intention that Israeli soldiers would shoot at farmers and other individuals attempting to reach their own land in direct violation of not only the cease-fire but international law.

Hamas still held to the cease-fire from the time it went into effect on June 19 until Israel effectively ended the truce on November 4 by launching an air strike into Gaza that killed five and injured several others.

Israel’s violation of the cease-fire predictably resulted in retaliation from militants in Gaza, who fired rockets into Israel in response. The increased barrage of rocket fire at the end of December is being used as justification for the continued Israeli bombardment, but is a direct response by militants to the Israeli attacks.

Israel's actions, including its violation of the cease-fire, predictably resulted in an escalation of rocket attacks against its own population.

stanley hersh

New York, NY

I'm happy to see that others address the dishonesty of The Nation on this topic. I have only a few things to add.

1. Many hundreds of thousands of Jews were displaced from Arab countries. Moral symmetry requires their recognition.

2. Israel uses smart bombs and other technologies to avoid civilian deaths. Hamas and the other side maximize civilian deaths as they are able.

Shame on The Nation.

steven curtis

Petaluma, CA

I second all that Ernest Schwartz Denver, Colorado, says in his letter and could not have said it better. What a bunch of crap.

Robert Lippincott

Grand Saline , TX

I am currently in that "other world" identified by one writer as "anti-Israel." I am in Ramallah, as we all wait for the other shoe to fall, no pun intended. This position of being hoisted on one's own petard is the essence of Palestinian identity, a kind of impossible identity. History's residue which will not disappear, so that the West's hope that it can progress, that Never Again will really be never again for Jews. Palestinians here are full of the pesoptimism that the Israeli Palestinian, Emile Habiby, described as their historical "place." As I sit and listen to ordinary people's reactions to what is happening in Gaza, I hear things like "We should close the PA and take all of the guns of the security forces and burn them in al-Manara (which is the middle of downtown Ramallah) and then say to the Israelis 'come back in and directly occupy us.'" There seems to be a sense that this is where we are heading, back to the future, where Palestinians remain target practice, in which Israel gets to continually feed its neuroses, proclaiming through dead and frightened Palestinians, "We are here. You get over there, so we don't have to recall our origins. Any of them."

I keep having a fantasy that we will all go to downtown Ramallah and have a sit-in until the US Marines come in and bear the responsibility for administering our daily lives. Since Israel has managed to have all of the powers of an occupier and none of the responsibilities, and since the US has been the main source of cover for this state of affairs, why not?

Deborah Gordon

Wichita , KS

Let me hurl 600 rockets into your backyard, and we will see how much you care about international law. This is what I love about liberals. There response to any conflict is to lay down their arms and negotiate. Well, guess what: you can't negotiate with terrorists! Every time Israel has successfully negotiated an end to a conflict, they get attacked again within a few months.

Calling Israel's response to being attacked a violation of international law is irresponsible and disingenuous. These people are surrounded by people who hate them and want nothing more than to wipe them off the face of the earth. You think Israel or any other country cares about international law? International law is a farce. None of our enemies follow it. It is a political tool used to shift public opinion.

What about the attacks on Israel by Hamas militants upon civilian targets? Isn't that a violation of international law? Where is the outcry from liberals on this one?

Mr. Falk, you are a fraud and a political hack for progressive causes.

Ernest Schwartz

Denver, CO

As a non-Jewish American living in Israel and in the red-zone, I take offense that an article containing such inaccuracies can be published. My guess is that none of the people siding with Mr. Falk (or Mr. Falk himself) know what it is like to hear the sirens blast and your home shaken by a Hamas missile strike.

"Israel is targeting civilians": Mr. Falk claims Israelis are targeting civilians. This could not be further from the truth. Israel possesses some of the most advanced and destructive weaponry on earth. If Israel was truly targeting civilians, wouldn't the death toll be a lot higher than 400 in a location as densely populated as Gaza?

The truth is that Israel exercises extreme caution and makes every attempt possible to limit civilian casualties. In the current operation Israel has notified residents by telephone of upcoming nearby strikes, dropped pamphlets and fired warning shots. Has Hamas shown the Israeli citizens it targets the same level of concern? Or do the rules not apply to them because their weaponry is not as advanced as Israel's? What will happen when they obtain more advanced weapons? It is just a matter of time, and they have proven time and time again that they will use them to indiscriminately target civilians.

If "military action does nothing," what does? Mr. Falk claims that the escalating military assaults have not made Israeli civilians safer. Since Israel pulled out of the Gaza Strip in 2005 the missile and mortar attacks on Israeli citizens have increased 500 percent. Mr. Falk argues that because death from the Hamas rocket attacks is infrequent, Israel does not have a right to defend itself. Israel has used remarkable constraint. Thousands and thousands of missiles and mortars have been fired into Israel since 2001. Over twenty Israelis have been killed and over 400 wounded. What other country in the world would tolerate this for so long? I ask Mr. Falk or any supporters to go live in Sderot for a month and see the horror and fear these people feel on a daily basis.

"Disproportionate use of force": As a law professor, Mr. Falk should have a better understanding of international law. Israel is not required by international law to calibrate the force it uses according to the damage the weaponry used against it inflicts. The interpretation of international law time and time again has been that force becomes excessive if it is employed to unnecessarily harm civilians (once again isn't this what Hamas does?). Israel's attacks are aimed at Hamas, and Israel is making every attempt to avoid civilian casualties. Civilian casualties are an unfortunate reality in war; their occurrence does not necessarily amount to a war crime.

Both the Palestinian and Jewish people have known oppression and injustice. The Arab world attempted to resolve these injustices with violence in 1948, and through the years their answer has always been violence. Over the past years that violence has targeted innocent Israeli citizens who are just trying to live their lives. People just like you and me, most of who pray daily for a solution to this mess. They are tired of seeing their children sent off to war, and their families and friends affected by the horrors of terrorism. One thousand, one hundred and seventy-six Israelis have been killed by terrorism since September 2000, another 8,341 wounded. I will give anyone arguing with me the benefit of the doubt and acknowledge every injustice they believe the Palestinian people have endured. Every injustice in the world will never make targeting innocent civilians right. And I don't know what kind of animal would think that it would.

David Marginian

Colorado Springs, CO

I would argue that Richard Falk's assessments of Israeli action must always be taken with a grain of salt. After all, he was chosen as United Nations Special Rapporteur precisely because he is a Jewish anti-Zionist and therefore gives cover to those groups and nations whose intent is to delegitimize the existence of Israel.

Bella Center

Boca Raton, FL

Mr. Falk, you are an idiot. One of the reasons the world is in such a mess is because of people like you ignoring the truth and espousing drivel to propogate their own agenda. It was Hamas who chose not to extend the cease-fire and sent rockets into Israel. Hams also bases itself in populated areas so that, when Israel decides to fight back, innocents (if there is such a thing in Palestine), are killed. If they were sending rockets into your town, putting your life in danger, you would think different.

Why don't you and Ward Churchill just go away?

Waymon Bonner

Portland, OR

Israel's defenders and advocates of genocide conveniently keep forgetting to cite the barbaric, murderous and cold blooded killing of thirty-four American crewmen on the USS Liberty in 1967, in a diabolical false-flagged attempt to get America to help fight its 1967 war with the Arabs. The Israelis are expert at false flags.

The rockets are a response to the occupation. An occupied people have a right to resist--and by the way, Gaza was never vacated in toto by Israel, as many advocates of genocide claim: Israel continues to possess complete air and water rights ever since their so-called departure, and has deprived the civilian population of every life source imaginable.

America and Israel both found the free elections they demanded in Palestine unacceptable because Hamas was the democratic victor. In the West Bank, the Americans and Israelis imposed a puppet government, but Hamas held on in Gaza. After unheeded warnings to the Gazans to get rid of Hamas and accept a puppet government, Israel has decided to destroy the freely elected government with violence.

As Mandela said when talking about the so-called WMD of Iraq: "But...Israel has weapons of mass destruction. Nobody mentions that," the Nobel peace laureate said.

stanley hersh

New York, NY

I fault The Nation for allowing propaganda to substitute for fact and permit such bias prominence in its pages. Mr. Falk is quick to charge Israel with violating "international humanitarian law" without even acknowledging the 3,000 rockets that Hamas has launched into Israel this year alone--rockets that are bought and paid for with "humanitarian" contributions from other countries and purchased from China and Russia. Nor does he admit to Hamas having ended the cease-fire.

I would ask The Nation's readers to ponder what a "proportional" response might be: firing thirty wildly inaccurate rockets haphazardly into Gaza every day?

Finally, the avoidance by Mr.Falk (as well as by the editors of The Nation) of the declaration by Hamas calling for the total destruction of Israel seems to this reader to suggest a bizarre and contradictory expectation: that it's OK to ask Israel to care for the welfare of citizens of Gaza, even while Gazans support a government that has as its objective Israel's demise.

As Jeff Robbins noted in the Boston Globe this weekend, "Hamas's persistent call for the annihilation of Israel through jihad, its unequivocal rejection of any peace with Israel under any circumstances" is ultimately responsible for the continuation of this terrible conflagration.

Neil Levin

Teaneck, NJ

The international press has condemned Israel for its "disproportionate" response to Hamas rocket attacks. Israel's response to this criticism has been shrill in condemning the "avowed intent" of Hamas to destroy Israel.

I have gathered some statistics from Israeli sources. They may help the reader put Israel's actions of the past few days into clearer perspective;

+ In all of 2008, three times as many Israelis were murdered by other Israelis than were killed in terrorist attacks by Hamas during the same period.

+ Israel bombs killed six times more Palestinians during the past week than the total number of Israelis killed by Hamas during all of 2008.

+ Twice as many Israelis were killed in traffic accidents during this past week than were killed by Hamas rockets during the same period.

I don't mean to trivialize the loss of a single life, but it's time that the mainstream press started to bring some statistical perspective to Israel's "disproportionate response" to Hamas actions against Israel.

Lou Arpino

Knoxville, TN

I am curious as to whether Prof. Falk is aware that the Hamas movement does not disguise that its objective is to kill every last Jew. It is only about Israel only in so far as that country is a Jewish state. Hence the perpetual stream of rocket attacks well after Gaza was Jew-less for over three years.

On the basis that Hamas defines itself by its objective of Jewish genocide, how would Prof, Falk suggest that the dialogue of negotiations unfold? For Hamas a dialogue is purely strategic, to buy time without any pressure from people like Falk to have them change their actual objectives. This would offer Israel little.

To understand Israel's response, one must accept that the very civilians whom Falk purportedly cares about elected a regime that had a genocidal objective. The entire Hamas infrastructure from universities to TV stations and offices serves the same objective. Falk claims that the population is being punished for the actions of a few militants. But these were elected by the people of Gaza. They are united in their objectives, whether it is one person who pulls the trigger or twenty.

It is difficult to steer away from the blunt refutation that is required in response to Falk's claim of intentional targeting of civilians. There is simply no evidence supporting Falk, and plenty that he appears to have ignored that confirms the very systematic and careful approach by Israel.

I am a psychiatrist and have visited Sderot. I spoke with families who have been traumatized for years by the continual bombardment coming from Gaza. Many of the children require intensive psychological treatment for their terrifying dreams and regressed development from having lived in continual threat. Falk is predictably silent on issues such as these. He insultingly makes a passing reference to such attacks as being illegal, but minimizes entirely the epidemic of human suffering created by Hamas long after Jews left Gaza. For what purpose? They cannot claim occupation.

Israel should be commended for ignoring the bleating, one-sided hysteria from Falk in favour of a sustained military response that ends when Hamas gives up its genocidal objectives. Israel should use as much force as it can at its disposal until there is a definitive end to the conflict. Until Hamas is comprehensively annihilated, the Gaza's Arab population will have no opportunities for peace or statehood. A renunciation of violence and genocidal objectives would lead to immediate prosperity and freedom for their fellow Gazans. This is where UN pressure should be applied.

When Falk shows a genuine commitment to the fundamentals of the UN rather than encouraging tolerance of the intolerant, he may be more persuasive in peace efforts. Until that time I would respectfully commend Prof Falk to make the most of his peaceful sanctuary at Princeton to reflect on his unbalanced and untrue assertions.

Dr. Doron Samuell

Sydney, NSW, Australia

Why does The Nation in general and Prof. Falk in particular reserve the most inflammatory and prejudicial language for actions taken by the Israelis and never for the horrors perpetrated by the Arabs in Gaza?

Lest we forget, the Israeli attacks represent a best-faith effort to destroy an entity that is trying to kill Israelis and, indeed, Israel itself. Attacking that entity without causing civilian casualties is made exceedingly difficult by the Arab practice of siting their security buildings, munitions factories, etc., in the middle of crowded civilian areas. They cynically exploit their own people, especially children, and then blame Israel when those sacrificial martyrs are hurt.

Any civilized decent people would keep its children in safe areas, out of harm's way. But Arab children are more valuable to the Arab publicity machine maimed and dead, and so they stack the deck to ensure that outcome.

Lest we further forget, the Arab attacks are intended to maim and kill civilians, especially children. Why else do they attack school buses? In contrast, the Israelis do their level best to avoid harming innocents.

Speaking of innocents, let us not forget that Hamas was elected by the people. It is not a dictatorship like that of Saddam Hussein, which did not represent the will of most of the Iraqi people. So when Prof. Falk talks about how wrong it is to punish all of the people, let us remember that a majority of them voted for the terrorist entity now in charge in Gaza.

He also speaks of vioations of international law. When did he last bemoan the fact that launching rockets at a neighbor is also a violation?

I am forced into a belief that a good many knee-jerk (and jerk is certainly the right word) leftists choose to side with the underdog regardless of the merits of his case. When Israel was the underdog, defending itself against attacks by its Arab neighbors back in 1948, 1967, and 1971, the left in general was supportive. Now it lambastes Israel for doing the same thing--attempting to protect its people.

Not fair, Falk; not fair.

Mike Riezenman

New York, NY

What purpose is served by writing a one-sided article like this, so intent on criticizing Israel? Why not an article on a subject rarely written about, such as the treatment of Jews in Arab countries, starting with the 1930s? A good start would be the causes of the disappearance of the large Jewish population in Baghdad.

David Doubilet

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

I am writing to express my gratitude to Dr. Falk for his informed assessment of the seriousness of Israel's violations of international law in its genocidal assault on Gaza, and also of the seriousness of America's complicity in these war crimes by virtue of being Israel's primary supplier of advanced military equipment. Dr. Falk's charges are deeply troubling; they should be thoroughly investigated and acted upon.

Toward that end, it would be helpful if Dr. Falk or others could provide a factual accounting of the events leading up to this latest violence. Specifically, during the "cease-fire" that recently elapsed, what positive efforts were made by both sides to strengthen and extend arrangements for peaceful coexistence, and what provocations/violations occurred on both sides, with what consequences (numbers of deaths and injuries, types and magnitudes of economic suffering)for the other side? Were the violations from the Palestinian side directly linked to Hamas, or were they mostly committed by individuals and groups outside Hamas control? Considering this factual context, is Israel's latest assault best understood as a matter of legitimate national self-defense or as an illegitimate act of continuing aggression by a powerful state against a beseiged, impoverished, nearly defenseless, civilian population?

One other matter. We hear much about Israel's "right" to defend itself against Hamas rocket attacks. We hear much less about the corresponding rights of an occupied people to resist aggression. In international law, are there any constraints on the rights of the victims of an illegal military occupation to resist the occupation and to retaliate, as best they can, against the suffering that has been inflicted on them?

kenneth burgdorf

Derwood, MD

As I understand what I've read in the news and seen on TV, Israel withdrew from occupying Gaza in 2005. Can someone advise Mr. Falk of this?

John D. Froelich

Upper Darby, PA

The article by the Princeton professor, who by virtue of his position should be smart enough to see the hypocrisy in his own words has reminded me of why I quit reading The Nation several years ago. Why is it that the far left, which is correct more often than not, cannot understand the simple concept of nations protecting their citizens? If all the news reports are correct, Gaza is a virtual tinderbox with more ordnance per square mile than probably any other similar-sized or larger area on earth. Is that an example of peaceful intentions.?

Israel agreed to a six-month cease-fire, which Iran promptly used to ship thousand of tons of weapons and ammunition (not relief supplies) covertly into Gaza. Israel attempted to extend the cease-fire, but Hamas ignored the request (contrary to your statement) and immediately started firing rockets and killing Israeli civilians. Note that Israel does not hide its military in the middle of civilians, a practice that is called "human shields," and no wonder there is "collateral damage" of less than 20 percent of the deaths. Hamas targets civilians, and so the ratio is reversed in Israel, i.e., mostly civilians killed by Hamas ordinance.

One suspects your motives in condemning Israel instead of Iran and Hamas are in support of a different agenda.

Allan Altman

Kentfield, CA

Falk must live in a different world with a perspective that is clearly biased toward the Palestinians and a disregard for the Israeli people. After all, as it is said in the extremist Islamic world, they are only Jews.

I would grant that the Israeli response to the continual bombardment of Israeli citizens by Hamas may be ill advised in the context of long-term prospects for peace in the region, but if any other nation was the subject of such bombardment as perpetrated by Hamas, what would their response be?

Given that Hamas, an internationally recognized terror organization, hides it munitions among its own civilian population, clearly with the intention that there be civilian casualties and demonstrating its contempt for the lives of its own people in the name of jihad, the destruction of Israel and Western civillization, what other means does Israel have to protect its own people?

The notion that Hamas wanted to extend the truce is utter nonsense. Hamas is not interested in peace for its people because they are pawns in a philosophy of Islam above all else.

The Palestinian people are the victims of their own leadership, as they have been for more than sixty years.

Falk needs to answer the ultimate question: How does Israel or any other civilized nation deal with a entity that is bent on destruction, terror and contempt for human life, and is the avowed enemy of not only Israel but all Western civillization? Egypt has tried to broker peace but has been rebuffed by Hamas, which had been rocketing Israel even while there was a truce. Rockets that Hamas could easily have stopped if it had wanted to.

The carnage is horrible and disheartening for all of us who want peace the world over.

Norman Phillips

Highland Park, IL

The criminal US-backed Israeli bombing massacre on Gaza, and the mass murder of 240 and serious wounding of another 500 Palestinians was done with a US green light using US weapons. The bombings took place at the end of the school day revealing a fiendish, genocidal intent to inflict as many casualties as possible, including children.

The UN in an emergency session issued a lukewarm resolution calling on all sides to stop the fighting. The US and the UK merely requesting that Israel try to avoid civilian casualties in the face of this modern day Guernica.

Gaza is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. Houses are built on top of each other. Government buildings and schools are amongst residential neighborhoods. Reports now show Israel has bombed the Gaza port, a university campus, greenhouses, a school, homes, mosques, prisons and medical storehouses.

Under Israeli siege for eighteen months, the people of Gaza had been denied food, electricity and medical care. This murderous siege was carried out without protest from their allies in Western Europe and the United States. Nobel peace laureate Desmond Tutu has called this blockade an "abomination".

The Israeli army engages daily in degrading and inhumane treatments towards Palestinians, such as prolonged detention without charges, strip searches at checkpoints, beatings, torture and home demolitions. According to Amnesty International, Israel is the only country that legalizes torture.

Why does the Arab world hate us? The answer is on the front pages of our daily newspapers.

rich broderick

Cambridge, NY

I'm sorry; from a professor and editor of this paper I expect a stronger, progressive, more balanced piece. I'm sorry, but this is instead regressive, in my view. Israel is not an "occupying power" of Gaza and certainly doesn't see itself as one, so how can you ignore this perspective? You mention the rocket attacks from Gaza in passing, but do not describe the full gravity of how these attacks affect Israel and her citizens, her children? Although you attack Israel's response to the terror from Gaza, you offer no alternative response for how Israel should respond to such attacks. Maybe they should use the "Sedona method" and send good vibes to Gaza? Or, how they should deal with ever-increasing organisations of terror in Gaza, supported by other Arab states? if it is only a "few militants" that are causing the problem in Gaza, then why don't you recommend that authorities in Gaza remove these people? Israel is a beautiful country, thanks to its current stewards in charge for a mere sixty years. It is easy to judge from your desk in the USA, but go have coffee in Tel Aviv and then try to e-mail this type of rubbish to The Nation.

Marc Zweier

Fremantle, Western Australia

This article is further proof that some on the left are delusional and borderline anti-Semitic. What other country in the world is asked over and over again to sit and take rocket attacks... while the world does nothing?!

While Israel gets attacked by Hamas rockets, Falk's heroic world-saving organization (the UN) does nothing as usual, the Middle East countries do and say nothing, as usual, and Europe does nothing, as usual.

And what is a proportional response, by the way? Hey, we only lost something like 2,700 people during the Pearl Harbor attack. Was FDR's and Truman's response proportional, killing approximtely 2,000,000+ Japanese.

Falk's mentality and thought process on this issue is a syptom of something very wrong with the civilized world today.

When will Falk finally say: Well, yeah, I guess Israel has my blessing to defend herself.

Maybe a mushroom cloud over Tel Aviv? Maybe it would take Tel Aviv and Jerusalem to be destroyed.

Readers of The Nation. Wake up ! It is 1936 all over again. Will you appease another murderous ideology? Or will you stand up for what is right and good?

Cesar Quintanilla

Anaheim, CA

Mr. Falk mentioned in his article that "Israel has also ignored recent Hamas's diplomatic initiatives to re-establish the truce or ceasefire since its expiration on December 26." To which diplomatic initiatives does this refer? As far as I know, it was Hamas that called off the ceasefire.

I am a dual American-Israeli citizen living in Tel Aviv who is very disturbed an saddened by the recent events in Gaza. I too, oppose the occupation, recognize the disproportionality of the attacks, and wish for an alternative to this violence, especially because it is clear to me that it will only breed more violence.

I am an advocate of diplomatic talks and an end to the Israeli occupation. I understand that the withdrawal from Gaza was not a complete one as long as Israel continues to restrict movement from its border. However, I have trouble responding to my fellow Israelis who point out that Hamas is a terrorist regime that seeks to harm Israeli civilians and uses its own as human shields.

I am afraid that as long as this is the case, those Israelis who advocate for peace and diplomacy will be silenced.

yael maizel
Tel Aviv University

Seattle, WA