Letters to the Editor: How support for Israel protects the Jewish state and the U.S.

To the editor: The letter writer who says the U.S. must reexamine its support for Israel is mistaken when he blames that country for aggression in the Middle East.

Israel is the victim of aggression, not the perpetrator. It suffers regular attacks from the Gaza Strip, Lebanon, Syria and Iran. With aid from the United States, Israel has been able to repel these attacks, albeit at significant cost.

If the United States ceases aid to Israel, these unprovoked attacks will cause far more damage to our closest ally in the Middle East and could eventually place the country in existential peril.

It is in our own national interest to continue to provide aid to Israel. This will ensure that our close ally has the best possible chance to survive.

Daniel H. Trigoboff, Williamsville, N.Y.

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To the editor: The forces that threaten Israel also threaten U.S. interests. Support for Israel is an investment in our own security.

This is misleadingly characterized as “aid.” The majority of funds provided to Israel by the United States must be spent on U.S. military equipment. The “aid” supports U.S. high-tech defense jobs and our industrial base.

This is in contrast with the aid provided to Pakistan, Iraq and Afghanistan. Furthermore, Egypt receives an average of $1.6 billion per year in “untouchable compensation” just for maintaining peace with Israel.

Article 14 of the Palestine Liberation Organization charter affirms that the “destiny of the Arab nation, and indeed Arab existence itself, depend upon the destiny of the Palestine.” Peace will come only if the “destiny of the Arab nation” does not require the destruction of the Jewish state.

The fact that both the PLO’s and Hamas’ founding documents reject any sovereign Jewish state in the Middle East will not be changed by cutting support for Israel.

Julia Lutch, Davis, Calif.