Israel remains under threat

To the editor:

It is with some sadness and dismay that I read and hear about the misunderstandings concerning the state of Israel among some of your readers.

We in the Jewish community have family and friends living in Israel.

We have strong attachments that are rooted in biblical, historical and ethnic/cultural reasons.

We also understand the status of Israel as a Jewish homeland. This is the history after the destruction of European Jewry, and also a sanctuary for Ethiopian Jews and Russian Jews and others.

We understand that there are great threats to the security of Israel that come from a number of sources.

For example:

• Military threats come from Iran, terrorist activity comes from Hezbollah, Hamas,

• Islamic Jihad along with thousands of rockets sent within some days from Gaza.

• In the past there have been various intifadas (terrorist uprisings) in the past with a great death toll.

Israel, like other nations, is not perfect. Mistakes are made. Improvements can be made in many areas, and hopefully many of the problems and issues will be addressed. But it will take a great deal of time.

Stephen
Oppenheimer