Letter on Israel full of problems

The letter criticizing Sen. Murphy for his support of Israel is rife with inaccuracies and errors; Israel has not annexed the West Bank or Gaza nor does it claim those territories. The only annexation of those areas was Jordan’s annexation of the West Bank in 1948 in contravention of the U.N. partition plan of 1947 which, had it not been violated by the Arab league as it invaded the nascent Jewish State, would potentially have provided a Palestinian homeland.

The “Nation-State” law specifically accords Arabic “special status” although not official status. Spanish, spoken by 30-40 million Americans, has neither.

While it is true that the United States has provided Israel with billions in aid, it gets quite a bit in return, including a reliable democratic partner which shares our values and possesses considerable military and intelligence assets in a very dangerous part of the world, as well as cooperation in developing effective weapons system such as the Iron Dome anti-missile system, port rights for the U.S. Navy in Haifa, and an effective bulwark against countries in the area whose interests are inimical to ours, especially Iran and Russia.

While the author of the “Murphy” letter does not specifically identify herself with any of the anti-Israel groups she cites, she clearly shares their aim of demonizing and de-legitimizing the Jewish State.

Arthur L. Levy MD Chairman, Israel subcommittee Jewish Community Relations Council of the Greater New Haven Jewish Federation