Re "Israel's war on Gaza's children," Opinion, Sept. 22
Saree Makdisi makes a great argument about the plight of Palestinian Arab children. Unfortunately, he never engages in any soul-searching regarding the Arab role in these children's lives or asks why Palestinians always seem to find a reason to avoid making peace with Israel. Neither does he ask why the Arab world has left these children (and their parents) in refugee camps instead of absorbing them, nor why Palestinian Arabs encourage their children to blow themselves up while murdering Israeli children in the process.
Instead of Makdisi or other Arabs being engaged in open debate about their policies, they are engaged in open hatred and blame. Golda Meir's quote is still right on target today: When the Arabs learn to love their children more than they hate the Jews, then we'll have peace.
Klara Shandling
Los Angeles
When will Americans realize that Israelis have been illegally occupying land that is not theirs for 40 years? Imagine Canada had conquered, say, the greater Seattle area, declared it a military zone and wrecked the thriving society there. Further imagine that after decades of brutal occupation, the occupiers removed their settlers and troops but sealed off all exits and even prevented access to the sea while continuing to terrorize the population with bombs and targeted assassinations. If you were in Seattle, what would you do? Americans of all religious and ethnic backgrounds must educate themselves and speak out against Israel's crimes against humanity. Right now, we're footing the bill for the gradual murder of an entire people.
