Letter: Media wrongly portrays Israel as an aggressor

Editor,

I am concerned about how quickly some judge Israel. For years, Israel has been forced to respond to terrorists and violent attacks from extremist terrorist groups.

I traveled to Israel this past winter to explore the country and experience Israeli life firsthand. As someone who has actually been to this country, I can tell you that the media portrayal of Israel as an instigator of violence is extremely inaccurate. The Jewish state wants nothing more than peace. It wants to peacefully coexist with its Arab neighbors and raise its families without fear of suicide bombers, rocket attacks and anti-Semitism.

I was particularly moved by a small display of shrapnel inside a shop in Jerusalem. The torn and mangled bolts were in a Ziploc baggie next to a message reading, "These bolts are a few from hundreds that came from a homicide-bomber. These bolts entered our store, nearly missing us by inches. The entire front of our store was destroyed. Thank G-d no one was hurt."

Israeli civilians are frequently the targets in this war. The terrorists that Israel faces use every tactic they can to turn the world's opinion against Israel. By strategically locating their weapons of warfare inside of civilian areas, they exploit the innocent. Israel is placed in a catch-22 position.

Please keep an open mind as you watch the news reports. In this current situation, Israel has done everything possible to minimize civilian casualties, while the terrorist group Hezbollah has done everything to specifically target innocent civilians. This is displayed by the fact that Israel drops leaflets urging residents to avoid certain Hezbollah installations, even though this will reduce the element of surprise and increase Israeli casualties.

I support this amazing, democratic example of a Middle Eastern nation. As an American, I am proud to say that I support Israel for its democracy and its quest for peace.

Jonathan Sibray

UNM staff and student