Re: Letter to the Editor (Aug. 15)

Paul Hoffman’s letter denounced Israel’s Operation Protective Edge launched on Aug. 8 against the Gazan Hamas terrorists, targeting rocket arsenals and terror tunnels in response to decades-long rocket attacks. 

In 2005, Israel Defense Forces tragically dismantled the adjacent Gush Katif agricultural communities in hopes of achieving a cessation of relentless rockets currently firing at Israeli civilian populations and institutions. If American cities were rocketed, the U.S. government wouldn’t hesitate to respond to even one rocket attack! Israel agreed to five cease-fires initiated by Egypt; Hamas rejected all and replied with thousands of rockets fired at Israeli cities, towns and civilian populations. Hamas use of women and children as human shields in order to protect their rocket arsenals and elicit world condemnation upon Israel is a criminal violation of international law. 

To paraphrase Hamas’ charter:  no two-state solution, no recognition, no conferences; Palestine is ours, from the Jordan to the Mediterranean. We shall obliterate Israel and every Israeli man, woman and child. During 1944-1945, U.S. and British air commands bombarded Frankfurt and Berlin and bombed Hiroshima resulting in thousands of civilian casualties; no apology, no condemnation!  Whereas, the IDF humanely floated airborne, text, phone and tech messages to warn Gazans to evacuate structures hiding rocket arsenals. Hamas brutally and intentionally ordered civilians to “stay in your homes!”

Not J Street’s naive myopia nor its cohorts, but good people like Gov. Mike Huckabee, International Brotherhood of Christians and Jews and American Friends of the Israel Defense Forces, to mention a few, and a majority of the Israeli electorate have the great wisdom and insight to stand with Israel and advocate intensely for true justice and peace.

Anne Schwartz

Providence, R.I.