Letters to the Editor: The genocide lie spoken by Rep. Rashida Tlaib and other critics of Israel
To the editor: Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) spoke some truth about the Israel-Hamas war, but she also spoke lies. (“Why Palestinian Americans believe Rep. Rashida Tlaib spoke the truth,” Opinion, Nov. 10)
Israel’s campaign in the Gaza Strip, while horrific, is not genocidal. And, the campaign is a response to a horrific provocation, one with genuinely genocidal aims that Tlaib doesn’t mention.
That vicious provocation by Hamas on Oct. 7 broke a cease-fire that Tlaib and other critics of Israel now want reinstated. Hamas intended this very response by Israel, but Hamas protects itself, not the Gazan people.
Hamas has failed the Gazans under its brutal rule. After winning the 2005 Palestinian election after Israel withdrew from Gaza and seizing the area by force in 2007, Hamas has not allowed an election since then. It justifies its existence by perpetuating needless war.
I’m pro-Israel, pro-Palestinian and opposed to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. I blame the dismal state of Palestinian life squarely on Hamas and the Palestinian Authority, whose decades-long belligerence have kept their people in constant misery and enabled the corrupt strongman Netanyahu. They must both go.
Bill Blum, Studio City
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To the editor: Tlaib’s censure in the House says two things.
First, it says that the 1st Amendment has a previously unknown exception. It forbids you to say anything critical of the government of Israel. It is considered hate speech and it immediately brands you as antisemitic.
Second, the censure says that Israel has a right to defend itself, including by committing genocide if deemed appropriate by Israeli leaders and Israeli leaders alone. They are a law unto themselves with no accountability.
Once again, as happens frequently, the U.S. and its Western allies have lost their moral compass.
Jamshed Dastur, Newport Beach
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To the editor: UCLA Professor Saree Makdisi quotes Tlaib’s comments that the “cries of Palestinian and Israeli children sound no different to me.”
Only the heartless would disagree. However, do Makdisi and Tlaib acknowledge an obvious difference in the circumstances of these children?
In Gaza, Palestinian children’s homes and schools sit above tunnels housing terrorists and weapons. Israeli children’s homes and schools are built above safe rooms and bomb shelters to protect them from rockets fired from Gaza.
Might that have some bearing on matters?
Gary Nudell, Palm Springs
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To the editor: Makdisi says his goal and that of other Palestinians is a joyful “secular state.” He means, apparently, the end of Israel as a Jewish homeland, which currently embraces the Israeli Arab citizens who make up 20% of the population.
Would Jews in Israel ever peacefully work toward the essential dissolution of their country? Would the current regime in Gaza equally “embrace [their] Jewish cousins”?
Years before Israel was founded, Arabs sold land to Jews, but many objected to Jewish immigration. The Arabs pressured the British who controlled Palestine to severely restrict immigration in the 1930s, effectively refusing to allow the Jews of Germany to escape with their lives.
Not much welcoming has occurred since then. I doubt it will occur any time soon.
Beth Ruben, Santa Barbara
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To the editor: I write as the granddaughter of Ukrainian Jews who escaped pogroms and came to America in 1904. Jews need a secure homeland after centuries of antisemitism culminating in the Holocaust. Palestinians also need a secure homeland.
The land claimed by both must be shared.
Netanyahu and his allies are committing war crimes in their desire for vengeance against Hamas for the Oct. 7 atrocities. The war meant to destroy Hamas is killing thousands of Gazan civilians.
The war will lead to a backlash against Israel, unleash more violence and make the necessary political resolution harder to achieve. Tlaib just reminded us of truths that can’t be denied and mustn’t be ignored.
Karin Costello, Santa Monica
