Readers React: Hillary Clinton should stop ducking a discussion with Bernie Sanders on Israel

To the editor: Sen. Bernie Sanders: “If there’s going to be peace in the Middle East, a lasting peace, the Palestinian people are going to have to be treated with respect and dignity.” (“Bernie Sanders moves toward a fight over Israel, forcing Hillary Clinton to navigate a splintered party,” May 30)

Hillary Clinton: “Advisors would not discuss the issue on the record because of sensitivity to any move that might inflame tensions with Sanders and his supporters.”

Huh? Isn’t this a contest? Shouldn’t each of the Democratic candidates for president tell us what they think so that we can make an informed decision? Tension, and trying to resolve that tension, is what this whole exercise is about.

The questions are: What does Clinton think about the way Israel treats the Palestinians? Is it justified and necessary, or is it oppressive and barbaric? Should the Palestinian people be treated with respect and dignity? If she’s asking for our vote, don’t we have a right to know?

Or has she already given us her answer?

Charles Goldwasser, West Hollywood

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To the editor: This article mentions that “the scale of civilian casualties in Israel’s attack on the Gaza Strip in 2014 also alienated many liberals.”

Sanders said in an interview that Israel had killed 10,000 civilians in the most recent Gaza operation, when in fact closer to 1,500 Palestinians were killed. I was there on vacation with my family and temple at the time. We had to go in bomb shelters three times as Israel’s Iron Dome shot down missiles heading toward us.

Israel was under attack, with thousands of rockets fired at civilian areas. It responded with strikes at the missile launchers.

Sanders’ false statement might have been implanted in the impressionable minds of the thousands of young people who attended his rallies. He apologized later, but making a mistake on this issue by such a wide margin is an unforgivable error.

Even though I disagree with them and think they are sadly misguided and uninformed when it comes to Mideast peace, it brings me a sort of pride to see Jews criticize Israel. They have that right. On the flip side, when the Palestinians living under Hamas’ rule criticize their leadership, they risk being executed. That is an important factor to consider when judging both sides.

Paul Zimmelman, Marina del Rey

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To the editor: As a psychotherapist, I have often worked with people conflicted between what they actually see and what they would rather see.

So it is with the Democrats in shifting away from uncritical support of Israel toward recognition of its sharp turn to the political right and its immoral and brutal treatment of the Palestinan people.

Lest I be labeled a “self-hating Jew,” I will repeat what my mentor once told me: The truth is the truth, even when you don’t want it to be true.

Ken Levy, Los Angeles

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