Editor,
This letter is in response to Shoshana Handel's comments in the July 27-Aug. 2 issue of the Daily Lobo. Like Handel, I am Jewish. Having grown up in the Soviet Union and experienced an oppressive regime firsthand, I am a firm believer in the freedom of speech, just as Handel clearly is. However, I feel that individuals need to be responsible while exercising their First Amendment right, something Handel failed to do when she unjustly accused Israel of "imperialism," "willful violence against civilians" and "war crimes."
The monarchs of Great Britain and other European countries were practicing imperialism when they established colonies in America, Asia, Africa and Australia. These colonies were established as a result of military campaigns initiated by the European nations. How anyone can accuse Israel - a tiny nation surrounded by hostile neighbors with vastly larger populations - of imperialism is beyond comprehension. All wars involving Israel were either started by various hostile nations wanting to wipe Israel off the map or provoked by terrorist attacks on Israeli citizens.
What about "willful violence against civilians"? While Israel places its military installations as far away from civilian settlements as possible, terrorist organizations like Hezbollah, Hamas and others do the opposite, using civilian groups as human shields. Israel takes every precaution possible, sometimes at the expense of Israeli lives, to minimize civilian casualties. During the recent conflict with Lebanon, thousands of leaflets were dropped from planes into Lebanese cities warning the civilians of upcoming airstrikes and urging them to take cover. Did Hezbollah terrorists extend the same courtesy to the Israeli citizens of Haifa, Safed and other cities they bombed?
Of course, although the Israeli Air Force tries to be as precise as possible while hitting the terrorist military targets, some casualties are unavoidable. Terrorists use these poor people as pawns in their deadly game, evoking international sympathy by calling attention to the number of civilian casualties. Naturally, they fail to mention that the targets of Israeli strikes were the military installations carefully imbedded in civilian communities.
Handel also accuses Israel of committing "war crimes and atrocities." Again, these are unjust and unfounded accusations. Unlike the terrorist groups, who torture then kill most captured Israelis, Israel places its prisoners of war in jail. Over the course of its existence, Israel has traded a few thousand captured terrorists for just about 100 Israeli soldiers. In addition, Israel routinely provides humanitarian aid to Arab settlements devastated by military conflicts.
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Handel urges Jews to "be brave and reexamine their beliefs." What a wonderful idea - examination of oneself and one's upbringing often leads to tremendous personal growth. I urge those wishing to undertake this task in order to form their own opinions about the Middle East conflict to do so in a responsible manner.
Marina Lainer
Daily Lobo reader
