Letters to the Editor

Israel is an immoral monster ...

At the moment, things [in the Middle East] seem without much hope. The Palestinians may have been pushed already beyond what they can take. From what I read, the dominant emotions in the Palestinian public are of rage and revenge.

This is not surprising, but it doesn't make negotiations very easy either. On the other hand, for reasons that deserve a separate long analysis, most of the "left" in Israel has evaporated over the last year. Even a trivial thing as freezing the settlements -- an act of good will -- is something most Israeli Jews object to. Said's and Davy's [July 11] articles only contribute to an atmosphere of irrational rage and mistrust. Said should realize that demagogy is a double-edged sword, and sticking to facts and reasonable, concrete, demands from Israel might go a longer way.

And Davy, like the majority of Israelis, must wake up and acknowledge some facts. The Jews didn't always pursue peace, Israel has indeed been an extremely immoral oppressor, and the Palestinians are not just a bunch of fanatics who only want to destroy Israel -- they are people who are fighting for the right to lead a normal life.

Noam Shoresh

graduate, physics

Editor's Note: Mr. Shoresh's letter appeared in The Daily last week in a form he found to be unsatisfactorily edited, and, in the interest of preserving the spirit of his message, he has produced the above letter, decidedly more to his liking.

... but at least it has electricity and water

This is a response to Hashem Said's July 11 bromide against Israel. Frankly, I'm sick of seeing ad hominem attacks against Israel over religious "rights," biblical scripture, racial/ethnic "land rights," and what have you.

The fact of the matter is that Israel was a barren landscape before the Jews came, and was undeveloped for centuries. Most of the Muslims had been living primitive lifestyles for hundreds of years. In only half a century, the Jews -- who were only recently devastated by the Nazis -- developed Israel into a prosperous, relatively secular industrial country. The only way to describe that is "amazing."

I'm not for the apartheid that supposedly exists in Israel, but I think the Muslims are more guilty. They hate the Israelis because they're prosperous and happy, and use land scuffles as an excuse to terrorize them. If they're granted the land back, they'll just create another theocratic terrorist state. Plus, the Muslims will oppress women in any case, so why do they have any higher ground than the Jews?

The Palestinians should drop their laughable religion, and integrate with the Israelis. They have nothing to lose but the chains on their narrow minds.

Brian P. Thompson

senior, pre-major