Letter to the Editor – 11/13/13

Balanced view

Jane Donahoe’s letter “Israel not Hawaii” in response to a letter from J. Cassen has just the right proportions of balance, tone and facts. Were you edited, or were you published as submitted?

And I once again state that we must admire and give ample credit to MidWeek editor-in-chief Don Chapman, who manifestly has the journalistic integrity to accept and present both sides of contentious issues. I hope the current dialogue doesn’t peter out but continues to expose the Oahu public to aspects of the Zionist enterprise, which are studiously avoided or hidden from scrutiny in the mainstream media.

I do not believe it hyperbole to opine that such scrutiny is a must for the health and even the very survival of our America.

Mr. Cassen et al.: Your move.

Robert Stiver
Pearl City

False accusation

In her response to J. Cassen’s “Friendly Israel,” I must take offense to Jane Donahoe’s misinformed statements about Israel. She should stop getting all her information from Al Jazeera news. Israel has never displaced any Palestinians. Israeli Arabs live at a higher standard than almost every Arab in any Arab country. Israeli Arabs vote, have their own representatives in the Israeli congress and have all the rights of the Israeli Jews. Female Israeli Arabs go to colleges in Israel. The Arabs who left Israel in the 1948 war of five Arab countries against Israel left because their Arab leaders told them to leave. U.S. citizens are subjected to more harassment and oppression at airports than Arabs are at Israeli checkpoints.

Ms. Donahoe’s accusation that Israel builds settlements in other people’s land is completely false. In defending itself against three Arab countries in 1967, Israel won some land. Israel was even willing to give it back for a guarantee of peace, but the Arab countries refused. Saying the “West Bank” is occupied is about the same as saying California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas are occupied – except the U.S. attacked Mexico and took the land. Israel was defending itself against annihilation and, in defending itself, acquired the land.

Rand Pellegrino
Kailua

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