Gaza Talk
(In response to Oday Shahin’s Tuesday column “Deconstructing the Gaza blockade.”)
It was refreshing to see a well-written letter expressing the Palestinian side of the Israel-Palestine conflict published on Statepress.com. Any unbiased observer can see that the conflict is a very uneven fight, as Israel has the firepower that has been supplied by the U.S. government since its inception in 1967. Thanks for adding some balance to your newspaper.
Tom Compton Reader
There are many aspects of Mr. Shahin’s “Deconstructing Gaza” article that are blatantly incorrect. I’ll focus on only a few. There is no doubt that the humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip are low, but to call it a man-made humanitarian disaster would only be correct if the blame was put on the recognized terrorist organization running the area, Hamas.
Not only has Hamas shattered its own citizens’ well-being and driven them into poverty while the leaders take the aid brought in by Israel for themselves, but it has also publicly announced its initiative of destroying the State of Israel. He conveniently ignores that the Hamas rockets, which continually are sent into Israeli border towns, are designed to terrorize and kill innocent civilians.
The blockade of Gaza is completely legal according to the 1994 San Remo Manual on International Law Applicable to Armed Conflicts at Sea, and it is important to note that, since the blockade has been established, the amount of suicide bombings and rockets has declined greatly.
How is a state supposed to protect its citizens when the areas around its borders are constantly calling for its destruction? Israel has a right to protect itself. We need to make a conscious effort to research our information before stating them as facts.
One thing is certain: The State of Israel wants peace. It always has, and it always will. That is a fact.
Samantha Rush Undergraduate Student
