Disputing the professor

Professor Nina Tannenwald consistently finds ways to criticize Israel. As soon as I see her name in the byline [March 2024], I know it will be a hit piece. Israel is in a dangerous neighborhood. The IDF is forced to patrol the Palestinian population in the West Bank (Judea and Samaria) because the Palestinian Authority teaches, glorifies and subsidizes terrorism. If Israel withdrew from the “occupation” as anti-Israel provocateurs love to call it, there is a high likelihood that Hamas would subjugate the Arabs living there, kill anybody who dares to resist and present a mortal danger to Israel.

The Palestinian Authority does not have the will or capability to oppose Hamas so the work is forced on the IDF. I would hate to be a soldier having to take on the horrible task of rooting out terrorists hiding among and supported by civilians. I know that, as a typical 20+ year old, it would likely make it hard to be humane to people who may trying to kill me. It is a horrible choice Israel has. The current stalemate hardens attitudes on each side. If Israel withdraws, it may be national suicide. Mahmoud Abbas, age 88, was elected in 2005 to a 4-year term and has blocked any further elections. Each time Israel has ceded territory to an unstable Arab entity, the power vacuum has been filled by radicals with “Death to Israel” mindsets, and weapons supplied by Iran and others determined to destroy Israel.

Having never seen Tannenwald write anything critical of Palestinian society or leadership, I wonder if she is able to depart from her “Disneyland” characterization of Arabs as innocent victims and suggest real, measurable steps the Palestinian population and leadership could make to allow Israel to withdraw and have peace. It is this consistent focus on the oppressor/oppressed narrative that has made the Ivy League colleges so hostile to Jews that it has become a national disgrace. I hope Tannenwald is more objective on campus and is not engaging in classroom indoctrination.

Farrel I. Klein

Providence, RI