LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Israel not perfect, but is still good

Posted

To the editor:

(re: “Speaking for all the oppressed,” Sept. 17)

Wayne Price’s letter is filled with misinformation. I see a regrettable pattern among some Jews, decrying anti-Semitic violence while offering a blanket condemnation of Israel.

Israel is indeed a democracy, conducting free and frequent elections. Arabs hold public office within that government. In contrast, the Palestinian Authority has failed to hold an election for more than a decade since Abbas assumed leadership.

Israel has been the Jewish homeland since biblical times. In 1948, when Israel was granted statehood by the United Nations, surrounding Arab nations made war. Israel survived and thrived, but was attacked again by surrounding Arab countries in 1967.

When Israel prevailed again, it acquired additional lands that became a critical buffer zone against future attacks. Disparagers of Israel refer to these lands as “occupied territories.”

While there is much constructive humanitarian interchange between Israel and Palestinians in areas such as employment, agricultural pursuits and medical needs, Israel is forced to remain vigilant against missile attacks and other threats from terrorist Palestinian sectors. It is a pity that checkpoints are necessary to prevent such violence.

Boycott-divestment-sanction seeks to destroy Israel through economic strangulation. Israel is the historic refuge for worldwide Jewry. Vast numbers of Jews have fled there to escape oppression from Arab lands, the former Soviet Union, Ethiopia, and other parts of the world, to this day. They rebuilt their lives after the Holocaust.

Israel has an extraordinary record of humanitarian values in action, sending rescue teams to assist Arab refugees, saving earthquake victims, offering medical care to all who need it, sharing agricultural knowledge, and much more. Like every society, it is imperfect.

Targeting Israel for economic destruction, distorting its history, and focusing on the negative is pure anti-Semitism, not civil discourse.

Alisa Eilenberg

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Alisa Eilenberg,

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