Enemies surround Israel

It is Bernard Benson who misses the point of the Israeli response, and shows in his letter why many people in good faith also do so with his observation that no European country has been on what he calls a “killing spree” after a terrorist attack (“Israel comments miss point January 15).

Israel cannot be compared with a European country. It is small and surrounded by enemies who wish it harm and want to eliminate it for reasons that predate by decades the present Palestinian disputes, including “occupation” and the other accusations that go with it. It is important to recognise that today’s political status is the effect of that intent rather than the cause, which is never acknowledged by commentators, even in passing. Looking at a map will tell you there is the constant possibility, notwithstanding Israel’s security establishment, that the state could be overrun.

That nearly happened in 1973 and in the recent Hamas attack; the huge build-up of offensive weapons by Hezbollah is a reminder of that fact.

It is no exaggeration to say the threat is existential and must be treated as such, and that Hamas and, at some point Hezbollah, have to be removed as threats for Israelis to live normal lives.

What we are seeing is not a “killing spree in Islamic countries”, it is an attempt to neutralise a potent enemy once and for all. There is a lot more to this, including a nasty right-wing element’s behaviour in Israel, but that is a distraction to today’s death and destruction appearing to be an inevitable consequence of more than 100 years of Arab attacks on the region’s Jewish inhabitants.

Sydney Kaye Via email