What would a cease- fire accomplish?
Re: “If ‘ cease- fire’ becomes taboo, what’s next, ‘ peace’?” Dec. 10 commentary
Dear Iman Jodeh, I read your article calling for a “cease- fire.” And I ask, “What does that accomplish?” Hamas is dedicated to the annihilation of Israel and probably all Jews. I understand that isn’t working out for Hamas right now and they need a cease- fire to rebuild. It may take a few years, but their purpose will not change. So how does a cease- fire solve Israel’s problem?
You mention all the protests. I had the opportunity to talk to three protesters at an event. I questioned them about their signs and their reasons. They answered that the signs were handed to them at the start of the march. They really knew nothing about the details of the conflict. Some of their friends thought it would be fun, so they joined in. ( Actually, I think a lot of protests are like that.)
It would be nice if Hamas and Israel could live like the United States and Canada, where both sides learned to live next door to each other in peace. I know, “Good luck with that!” Will your cease- fire accomplish that? I think not. Your call for cease- fire is not a solution, simply a pause and the next time Hamas will do a bigger Oct. 7 job. Until a cease- fire comes with a bonafide solution, the call is meaningless.
— John Hallacy, Morrison
Iman Jodeh’s thoughtful column calling out the brutality of the Israeli/ Hamas war and calling for a cease- fire is right on the mark. And I share her beliefs about the sometimes ridiculous semantics in which politicians engage.
The barbaric attack and indiscriminate killings and rape of Israelis by Hamas give the Israeli government the right to respond and stop this from happening again; indeed, it is the duty of the government to protect its people. But Israel’s military response has been way out of proportion, in my view. Israel needs to consider that:
1. They must share culpability for this war. They had advanced knowledge of the attack and did nothing, and members of the government have supported Hamas in Gaza as a check against the Palestinian Authority, knowing full well of Hamas’ stated goal of Israeli destruction.
2. Because Israel is the obviously more powerful nation in the region, they have a duty and moral responsibility as a country to inflict as little harm as possible on the people who are in the same area who are not capable of defending themselves from such an over- powering force. The overwhelming disparity of deaths and destruction heaped upon the people of Gaza is immoral, and frankly, it makes Israel look like a thug, not unlike what Putin and Russia are doing to Ukraine.
— Gerry Camilli, Englewood