Hard to show tolerance

Steven Aiello starts “Identity, diplomacy and nationalism: Are we really better than the UAE?” (Comment & Features, November 12) by saying that half of Israel is upset over the lack of sportsmanship at the recent Judo Grand Slam in the UAE. Does he mean that the other half supports the fact that Israel could not display its national symbols in an international forum?

I hardly think so. I would have thought that the country would be united over the issue.

On the other hand, he speaks of the “flag incident” of a Palestinian flag being removed in a Jewish school. I have no recollection of this incident, nor was I able to find any in a quick Internet search.

We all welcome dialogue at the children’s level in the hope that this can lead to better understanding of “the other.” In my humble opinion, I believe that the average Israeli yearns for peace, but it’s hard to show tolerance when faced with attacks on a continual basis, both on a state level and from individuals.

In addition, there really is no symmetry when comparing Israeli, UAE and Palestinian flags. “Palestine” is not a state; the flag is a symbol of the Palestinian Authority, which now has some unity with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Hamas has forsworn any consideration that its weapons of attack against Israel would be given up, and still calls for our total elimination.

DAVID SMITH Ra’anana