Real culprits teach hate

One of my first cousins, an Israeli Jew who emigrated from Poland in 1949, died at age 92 of natural causes last year. As soon as he disembarked he was recruited by the Israeli Defense Force and assigned to one of the most dangerous jobs in the world: the bomb disposal unit.

The caption under “The arrest seen around the world” (Aug. 31, page 3) states that a 12-year-old Palestinian boy was being arrested for throwing rocks, and that this was the cause of a violent riot.

Do I think this was an overreaction? No. But the ones who should have been arrested were the ones who put him up to it; the ones who regularly use kids to make statements, even when it costs them their lives. I’m sure my cousin would have agreed. Those Palestinian children who are raised to hate and steeped in anti-Semitism are promised an automatic place in heaven if they become martyrs. They have no choice, and no chance to grow up normally.

Those rocks could just as well have been grenades. In America, we punish those who throw rocks or bombs. In Syria, Yemen, Jordan and Egypt, they promise eternal reward for doing the same thing. It’s all a matter of perspective.

Victor Buksbazen

Spokane