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Tough Mideast lessons
Dear Editor,
Anti-Zionism. Don't fall for the propaganda. Don't fall for the threats. It does not mean anti-Semitism. Anti-Zionism does not mean you are anti-Jewish.
It has taken years, but the propaganda machine has been extremely effective. And it is a difficult thought process to change.
This is the message that has been drilled into our subconscious:
Israel is our only ally in the Middle East. Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East. Anti-expansionism of the state of Israel into new territory means you do not support the right for the state of Israel to exist.
Palestine was a failed Third world state until the Jewish people moved in in 1948. Gaza and the West Bank were both total slum lands.
All Palestinians are unemployed welfare recipients. All Palestinians are terrorists. All Palestinians are rapists. All Palestinians are murderers.
In turn, Israel's only military actions are defensive actions. If Palestinian citizens -- women, children, infants -- are killed or maimed it is the fault of the terrorist leaders of the Palestinians. As Golda Meier stated: "When peace comes perhaps we will be able to forgive the Arabs for killing our sons, but it will be harder to forgive them for having forced us to kill their sons."
How true are these conceptions? Look at the history that has been scrubbed from the books, then decide for yourself.
Here are the key words to consider: 1948 Nakba. Deir Yassin Massacre. Tantura. 1954 The Lavon Affair.
The myth that Palestinians were welcomed to stay in their homes in land granted to the Zionist Israel is not true. They were evicted. And the most powerful weapon was not just death, but the fear of rape. The foremost example was a town called Tantura, an event buried in history until Teddy Katz interviewed some surviving soldiers and wrote his thesis. Under pressure, Katz was forced to recant his words. It was buried again.Until 2022. A film exposed it all.
"Some guys grabbed flamethrowers and ran after people and torched them."
"For a time I was nothing but a murderer. I didn't take captives. If someone raised his hands... Of course we killed them. Freely. With no qualms. If you killed one, you did a good thing. They had to be eradicated."
How many did you kill? "I don't know. I didn't count. My gun held 250 bullets. What did they hit? I don't know."
"We rounded them up -- 15-20 of them. Along came a guy in an Autralian hat. He told them to stand. He looked them over. Took a step back. Then killed every one of them."
David Ben-Gurion, First Prime Minister of Israel: "We must expel the Arabs and take their places." If we have to, we will use force against the Arabs -- not to dispossess the Arabs of Palestine, but to guarantee our own right to settle in these places. "Let us not ignore the truth among ourselves: politically, we are the aggressors, and they, the Palestinians, defend themselves. The country is theirs because they inhabit it, while we seek to settle here. If I were an Arab leader, I would never make peace with Israel. It is only natural -- we have taken their country."
And now Bibi Netanyahu wants more. Greater Israel. From Genesis 15:18 ...from the Western tributaries of the Nile to the Euphrates. Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq. Parts of each belong to Israel. In time. Bibi has stated his objectives clearly.
Why are we in the Middle East? Because of Iran's nuclear ambitions? Realize we are involved because we finally bought Netanyahu's story of Iran being "days away" from being a nuclear power. The same story he has told for over 25 years. Our leaders finally fell for it. They finally gave Bibi what he needed. Access to the strongest military in history.
And he is using it. And he is using us, the taxpayers, to fund it.
Smile when you pay higher prices for groceries and gasoline. You have a war to fund.
James Spangler, OD
Warren
Flaws on both sides
Dear Editor,
I was reading the letter from a gentleman last week and wanted to say that I agree with him that there are many good alternatives to the current status quo in politics with this administration as with many of the ones from the last many several years.
However, the changes are only going to give us a different style of corruption on both sides of the aisle, not a better one. The pay to play political atmosphere is entrenched in both this state and in Washington and it will not go away regardless of who runs the country. The only difference from now and past administrations is the people there now do it in our face whereas others hid and denied any wrongdoing.
He should consider running and see if he can effect real change, unfortunately he will find the only way to get anything done is Pay To Play.
Daniel Tassone,
Warren