Supporting Israel

Blame game

Regarding “Support for Palestinians becomes litmus test” (Page A13, Monday), it amazes me the writer of this oped, Yousef Munayyer, expresses surprise that the state of Texas and its governmental subdivisions want to ensure state money does not go to companies that support the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Movement against Israel.

Israel and Texas have consistently shared the common values of democracy, peace and freedom. If and when the Palestinian people demand of their own leadership adherence to the same values and if and when the Palestinians truly reject the support of terrorism as a means of achieving their political ends, then we won’t have to have these types of conditions in our governmental contracts.

It is not Israel that is the pariah as the author would have us believe. To the contrary, just look at the way Palestinians applauded and continue to applaud (and reward) suicide bombers and other terrorist events and it’s easy to see why our leadership rejects BDS and other attempts to delegitimize Israel. The BDS Movement is, in truth, simply another litmus test of yet another attempt by those fomenting violence to undermine Israel. Our state’s support of Israel, a true ally for peace in this very dangerous world, is the right thing to do.

May peace come to all peoples in this unhappy neighborhood of the world sooner rather than later. Unfortunately it won’t come from the pursuit of BDS, and it won’t come from blaming Israel for the predicament that the Palestinian people find themselves in. Denis C. Braham, Houston