Readers React: Is it time for the U.S. to question its support of Israel?

To the editor: I’m tired of the expression “Israel has the right to protect itself.” (“Israeli strikes intensify; 16 killed at U.N. school-shelter in Gaza,” July 30)

Who can argue with that? But does Israel also have the right to hold an entire population in complete subjugation to the point where the Gazans are entirely dependent on the “largesse” of their wardens for food, electricity and healthcare?

Every day we see pictures of wounded or dead Gazans. The Israeli government obviously has no shame when it comes to what can be considered war crimes against a people. Even in war, conquered people must be cared for.

Has anyone noticed the silence of Congress, or even the president, except for the time-worn “We have an unbreakable bond with Israel”? Well, it’s time for breaking that bond. To start with, the American-Israeli Public Affairs Committee needs to register as a foreign agent of Israel.

What chance do we have for peace in the Middle East when our government must tread lightly on issues concerning Israel?

Lou Del Pozzo, Pacific Palisades

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To the editor: America should keep its mouth shut on Israel.

In 1945, at least 150,000 Japanese civilians perished in the atomic bombings of Nagasaki and Hiroshima by the good ol’ U.S.A., yet we have the nerve to tell Israel to restrain itself from defending its people against a terrorist group elected by the people of the Gaza Strip.

Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.

It might be better to tell the Gazans that if they elect a governing body whose charter calls for the destruction of Israel, they have to live with the consequences when Israel responds to the nonstop rocket attacks and tries to close the tunnels that cross the border.

The adage “Live by the sword, die by the sword” comes to mind.

Shane Brolly, Sherman Oaks