An inappropriate comparison

It’s gut wrenching to read letters that ignorantly assert comparisons between the Warsaw Ghetto, and Gaza and the West Bank; and that compare Israel to followers of Hitler. The writers should feel ashamed. A 200-word LTE is insufficient to describe the reality of the Warsaw Ghetto, but the author of the May 31 published letter (“Israel and Palestine,” Chris Haralam) is woefully misinformed. My parents were survivors of Nazi concentration camps yet I know that my own secondhand knowledge is superficial.

Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005. Hamas fighters defeated Fatah and took over the Gaza strip in 2007. Instead of using their resources for education and development, they spend aid money on terror tunnels and rockets.

In May 2021 Hamas sent 4,300 deadly rockets, largely financed by Iran, from civilian sites in Gaza to target Israeli civilians, knowing full well that despite Israel’s strategic attempts to minimize the loss of innocent lives, Israel would have to defend its people. Five hundred of Hamas’ own rockets fell inside Gaza and killed many Gazans – Hamas values NO civilian lives.

There is much room for debate and angst about the ongoing conflict in the Middle East but oversimplification and name calling benefits nobody.

Mary Noble

Spokane