Too hard on Sharon

The feature "Letters from Palestine" (8/6/03) left me with a familiar feeling of disappointment such as I have come to expect in a Bay Guardian article that deals with Israel/Palestine. The one-sidedness of the letters reflects the one-sidedness that I see in your publication's coverage of this multifaceted and complex issue. There is no right side, no wrong side.

Everything that Israel and Sharon were accused of in "Letters from Palestine" would indeed be terrible injustices were it not for the fact that Sharon and Israel have had to deal with a constant barrage of suicide bombings and sniper attacks that seek to rip the very core of Israeli society into pieces. Yes, the checkpoints and security fences make life difficult for Palestinians, but that is not why they exist. They are set up to stop terror. No checkpoints equals no means of stopping the barrage of suicide bombers who attempt to cross over into Israel on death missions. Perhaps not only Israel should be admonished for creating these checkpoints but also Hamas and Islamic jihad for making them necessary.

Moshe Kasher,
Oakland

A view from Israel

Since returning this July from a 10-month stay in Israel, I have spoken with many people who ask me what Israelis think of the political situation right now. I can only respond that there is no one opinion – Israelis cover the political spectrum, from far right to far left, in terms of their perceptions of the situation and their visions for the future. I went to Israel because I wanted to gain a deeper understanding of the history and reality of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, something I couldn't fully do while in America. I commend anyone who seeks to do the same. That is why I was so disappointed by the accounts of the six Bay Area residents who reported their experiences in "Letters from Palestine." Instead of investigating the complexities of the current situation and sharing what they learned, they returned with an oversimplified version that only fulfills their own agenda. Their letters smack of the same good versus evil rhetoric that we see coming from the current administration.

Roni Ben-David,
San Francisco

Eye-catching 'Letters'

Normally I simply read a few headlines as I pass the newspaper stands on my way to work and ignore the rest. Your headline "Letters from Palestine" caught my eye, however. Palestine, a land and a people I have grown to love in several trips there. I am not used to finding the media coverage you have given. Thank you for the article, and thanks to the courageous people who went to Palestine and wrote these insightful letters.

Jonathan Abernethy,
Alameda

Uncensored from the West Bank

Thank you for having the courage to print the "Letters from Palestine" [in] these days of self-imposed censorship on the part of most newspapers – censorship specially used if the topic reflects life in the West Bank and Gaza.

It is my hope that your audience reflects in what those letters are telling us and responds with the compassion, the commitment, and the outrage necessary to stop the brutal oppression of the Palestinian people. Furthermore your courage may sweep away some of the readers; we all had lost friendships when, upon returning from Palestine, we had tried to tell friends that something is morally wrong in how the Palestinians are treated by Israel, but I also know that for many others, the Bay Guardian's moral outlook is the only hope for our dismal Bay Area reporting.

Pilar Olabarria,
San Francisco

Understanding the conflict

Thank you for publishing last week's cover feature "Letters from Palestine."

This balanced account of daily events in the occupied territories is exactly the type of reporting that is essential to understanding the conflict. Anyone reading those letters with an open mind would be outraged at the actions of the Israeli government. Again, thank you for the excellent feature. I hope more like it will follow.

Peter Weir,
Berkeley

The same perspective

In your August 6th edition you published an article titled "Letters from Palestine." You also mentioned that these letters are from different perspectives. I do not see the different perspectives. I see only one perspective that totally ignores historical facts.

If Palestine is to be a sovereign nation, it must build its own economy and infrastructure. Palestine cannot rely on Israel to supply its jobs, hospitals, or water.

Palestinians, who until the beginning of the intifada obtained jobs, hospital care, and water from Israeli sources, are now doing without. This is no surprise. This is a consequence of Palestinians declaring war on Israel. Do you really expect Israel to supply its enemies with basic services?

Neil Spun,
Concord

For the record