Israel an apple; Iran an orange

In his March 17 letter, “Israel gets free pass from media,” Graham Andrews raises some interesting and fair questions, but his suggested answers are short on the relevant historical perspectives and facts.

His fair question is: “Why is it OK for Israel to have nuclear weapons, but not OK for Iran?” The short answer is that you can’t compare apples and oranges, i.e., Iran has consistently declared its intention to obliterate Israel, a state created by a United Nations partition in 1947.

The decision has never been accepted by the surrounding Arab nations. In three major wars, the massed Arab nations tried to effect that obliteration. Israel has never threatened to use any weapon to initiate a war of annihilation against anyone but, evidently, as a state vastly outnumbered by its hostile neighbors, has felt a need for the deterrent protection of nuclear weapons.

As to Andrews’ final question, “Should it (Israel) now be surprised if its enemies seek parity?,” the answer is surely no. It certainly should not, is not and better not be surprised. And it is because they cannot afford to be surprised that they so definitively object.

Peter Grossman

Spokane