An Ilhan wind blows

Regarding “IDF braces for combat as rockets target Jerusalem” (May 11), as I write this letter, Hamas has fired some 300 rockets into civilian areas in the past 24 hours, causing injuries, property damage and fear. Like many Jews in my region, my family spent a somewhat restless night – punctuated by explosions – in a bomb shelter last night.

The reasons Hamas has so far failed to kill innocent people include: 1) the Iron Dome 2) citizens reacting responsibly by staying in protected areas and 3) prevention (by intercepting the Karine A weapons ship, for instance) of some of the most advanced weaponry from reaching Hamas terrorist hands.

As no country would tolerate having their civilians be randomly targeted and exploded as Hamas is doing to Israel, one would expect all nations and individuals to condemn this obvious war crime/ crime against humanity. But no. Scan Twitter and you will find that many people are perversely outraged at Israel, falsely accusing it of terrorism, genocide, apartheid, colonialism – and just about every other evil imaginable.

Prominent US Democrat Ilhan Omar calls to condemn Israel! She just tweeted, “Israeli air strikes killing civilians in Gaza is an act of terrorism. Palestinians deserve protection. Unlike Israel, missile defense programs, such as Iron Dome, don’t exist to protect Palestinian civilians. It’s unconscionable to not condemn these attacks on the week of Eid,” ignoring facts such as: 1) Only Gazans are shooting rockets at civilians and 2) Israel developed its Iron Dome for defense from rocket terrorism.

Arabs rocketing Israeli civilians brings to mind Nazis in World War II rocketing British civilians. Hamas has tens of thousands of missiles; Hezbollah has hundreds of thousands of rockets – and then there are millions of people and even leaders like Omar who begrudge Israel the basic human right to defend itself.

Israel is at a severe disadvantage. Hopefully it will find a way to achieve resilience and prevail.

MICHAEL MEIRI Ashkelon

As rockets from Gaza pound Israeli homes, schools and more, totally disrupting our lives and serenity, the Arabs know that any Israeli military response will only work to their benefit in the propaganda war to demonize Israel. They win no matter what.

One wonders whether the Israelis should do something totally unexpected in return – nothing!

Maybe we should go to the United Nations and our allies in the world and say, “The Arabs are doing this evil thing to us. We have the capability to deliver a devastating response, but we will refrain entirely to give you a chance to stop the rain of terror from Gaza. We will give you several days to force them to stop and impose suitable condemnation and punishment on an international scale.

“If you fail to do so, we will have no other option than to conclude that we have no choice but to act militarily – but do not dare to criticize us when we do.”

LEV FOGEL

Ramat Aviv

Two of the many disturbing pictures in the paper from Jerusalem Day (May 11)?

1) The Jewish man trying to defend himself from a Palestinian lynch mob after his car was attacked and 2) Arabs cheering the rockets as they are fired at civilians.

We gave away all of Gaza and this is what we got. What sane person could possibly entertain the thought of giving away even more of our homeland?

IRENE MOYAL

Ashdod

Emily Schrader’s article (“How Palestinians lost Jerusalem,” May 11) keeps repeating that the Palestinians never had Jerusalem. Of course not. They did not exist and remain a bogus “nation.”

Just as the eastern neighborhoods of Jerusalem were illegally occupied by Transjordan, so was all they grabbed of Judea and Samaria. No part of the land or city belonged to the so-called Palestinians.

Schrader’s article suggests that those intransigent Arab leaders who instill hatred in their children, pay their people to slaughter Jews, stir up revolts like the present one in Jerusalem, fire rockets into civilian territory, and refuse any compromise with Israel because they insist that all the land is Arab land, have “rights” to the land they occupy. Not one inch of the land is theirs, not even Gaza, and they are no better than squatters. While Israel is willing to come to peaceful terms with them, they remain intractable.

Shame on our American allies for siding with these people. Do the Democrats want to lose their friendship with Israel? That, I’m afraid, is where they are heading. EDMUND JONAH

Rishon Lezion