Netanyahu’s war sows seeds of future violence
Peters Township, Pa.: I see the president’s plan to drop aid to wartorn Gaza by air as a direct rebuke to Israel, a clear indication that the United States has concluded that it is not doing enough to prevent an even worse humanitarian calamity than what has taken place already. What has occurred in Israel and Gaza is to be laid at the feet of Hamas. Israel has an absolute right to defend itself from savagery and to try to ensure that the savages can never again launch such a heinous attack as it endured on Oct. 7.
The Israeli retaliation, however, has reportedly brought about the deaths of more than 30,000 people, many of them innocent, many of them women and children. Scarcity of food has brought many to starvation or severe malnutrition. An aggravating factor is the presence of extremist right-wing members in the cabinet of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — individuals who have expressed incendiary views indicating a desire to rid the country of the Palestinian population. We will never see a necessary two-state solution while Netanyahu has the ability to stay in power.
I believe the accusation that Israel is committing genocide is overstated, but even if its actions are somehow successful in fully vanquishing Hamas, a new generation of Palestinians will hate and seek revenge against Israel for what it has done to their families. This strife should make us uneasy as Americans, as it serves to spread the prevalence of antisemitic views and actions and leaves our country open to terrorists who would seek to hold us accountable as Israel’s primary benefactor.
Oren Spiegler