Views of Gaza

Re “Israel eases blockade on Gaza as rockets decline,” Jan. 22

The communities of southern Israel have been under constant bombardment by thousands of rockets. The target of these missiles is clearly the civilian population, which is driving fear into the region as “collective punishment.”

Where am I missing the point that Israel is anywhere at fault for doing everything it can to limit civilian casualties and actually targeting Palestinian terrorists causing this terror? Israel provides fuel, food, electricity and medical supplies to a nation intent on its destruction.

Why is the whole world so concerned about a people who are suffering but somehow found the resources to deploy thousands of rockets? I do not see a single wealthy Arab or European Union state showing much compassion for these people; even Egypt is doing little to relieve Palestinians’ “suffering.”

Somehow it is Israel’s responsibility to feed the hand that wants to kill it. Why and how does Israel always end up as the bad guy? Maybe the answer is just simple anti-Semitism.

Hessel Kessler

Long Beach

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Israel’s most recent blockade against the Palestinians has plunged Gaza into an unnecessary and immoral humanitarian crisis. The European Union has pointed out that the blockade of Gaza is a form of collective punishment.

Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Arye Mekel said that the pressure against more than 400,000 civilians in and around Gaza City will cease only when Palestinian militants stop firing rockets into Israel.

Although Mekel insists that “the ball is in their court,” he fails to recognize that Palestinian civilians lack the power to stop Hamas from firing these rockets.

Because the U.S. and Israel are publicly known to be natural allies pursuing the same democratic agenda, silence on behalf of the U.S. would very clearly imply that we have no problem with Israel’s actions, which have been internationally acknowledged as inhumane. At the very least, our government should decry the blockade in an attempt to uphold the democratic ideals of freedom, justice and equality, and salvage what is left of our international image.

Sheba Ali

Irvine