Letters to the Editor: There’s an age divide on Gaza because older people know their history

To the editor: Responses by older people in the survey on Israel and the Gaza Strip are informed by the hard lessons from previous wars. (“Younger, older Californians take starkly different views of Israel-Hamas war,” Jan. 12)

World War I demonstrated what happens when you sign an armistice but don’t eliminate the threat. By the 1920s, Adolf Hitler was goading Germans into re-arming, ultimately leading to World War II in 1939.

The Allies finished that fight completely, and there haven’t been any more German wars.

It’s always that way, as Machiavelli told us in 1532: An implacable enemy left undestroyed will bide his time and strike again, because hate doesn’t dissolve on its own.

Israel’s situation is complicated by neighbors on an avowed anti-Jewish course to eradicate the country. Naturally, Israel will fight back to eliminate the source of murderous attacks.

American demonstrators need to consider this when they rally for an Israeli cease-fire. Older responders to polls such as yours see first things first: It’s not a rosy world out there.

Joel Athey, Valley Village

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To the editor: As an orthopedic surgeon, I took care of three individuals who were shot in Las Vegas on Oct. 1, 2017, and spoke to many more who were there. As expected, they were traumatized on that tragic day.

On Oct. 7, 2023, hundreds were massacred at a similar music event in Israel. Many remain hostages.

Insulation from hardship and threat permits an individual the luxury to judge without the necessity of true intellectual engagement.

I am hopeful these young people never have to face the cruel realities imposed by terrorists. If they do, will their opinions change about how to deal with them?

Richard A. Brown, Del Mar