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Re: 15 killed during protest march by Palestinians; March 31

Once again, Associated Press presents a distorted view of the Israel-Palestinian conflict. The border “protesters” came equipped with firebombs, other explosives and burning tires. Writers Fares Akram and Karin Laub however, do give us a telling quote by a Palestinian: “We are here to say we want to return to our land.” “Their land.”

There is no two- state solution to this problem. Palestinians have repeatedly stated that Israel is Arab land and that Israel (or the “Zionist entity” as they are referred to by Palestinians should be completely driven from their land — that is, eliminated. No Israeli forces are in Gaza to impose some colonialist nightmare. But there is Hamas, a murderous, terrorist organization that keeps about half its population in refugee camps despite billions of dollars in international financial aid every year. Stan Flamer, Toronto Palestinians, the world’s major welfare recipients, should be cleaning up their milieu instead of blaming Israel for their hopeless lives.

Israel isn’t going away. Israel has one of the most advanced societies on earth. Israeli Arabs are the freest in the world and are blossoming.

Hamas’ goal of destroying Israel would not elevate the Arabs living there or in the disputed West Bank. As in the rest of the Middle East and North Africa, where the ordinary people live in poverty and ignorance, Gazans would fare no better. Len Bennett, Ottawa It seems perfectly natural to me that Palestinian Arabs would seek to return to the land from which their ancestors were driven in 1948 and 1967. Unfortunately for them, justice, as viewed through the lens of power; favours the mighty.

In this case, the Israeli state, with full U. S. support; acts with impunity and rearranges the official narrative to justify its behaviour while successfully defining the opposition as terrorists. It’s a very old and reliable script. Morgan Duchesney, Ottawa