Blood on our hands

Many thanks to Jen Marlowe and The Seattle Times for the well-written and factual “U.S. complicit in Gaza’s plight” [Opinion, June 3].

Since 1948, Congress and various presidents’ administrations have worked tirelessly in aiding, arming, funding and politically shielding the rogue state of Israel. As an American, I admit we have blood on our hands.

— Ziyad Zaitoun, Seattle

U.S. safe haven and piggy bank for Israel

Jen Marlowe is correct: $3 billion U.S. tax dollars every year go to support Israel in its illegal occupation of Gaza and the West Bank.

The occupation is the root of the problem. When it ends and Palestinians are treated as equal citizens — in their own economically viable state or in one state with Israeli Jews as well — then the starvation, apartheid and violence will end.

Until then, America shares the blame with Israel for perpetuating war crimes, crimes against humanity and murder on the high seas.

— Linda Bevis, Seattle

Israel continues to act with impunity

Congratulations to The Seattle Times for “Israel stumbles, again” [editorial, Opinion, June 2], which decried Israel’s “arrogance of power” in attacking six ships and killing nine human-rights workers who were bringing relief supplies to the people of Gaza.

It stood out in sharp contrast to a brazenly libelous letter to the editor in the same issue claiming that the human-rights activists were “Islamic suicide-bombers.” Among those activists was a veteran of the Israeli attack on the USS Liberty, which the editorial correctly cited as another example of Israeli arrogance.

Israel continues to act with impunity because the United States. never held it accountable for that attack and because the United States failed to back the findings of the eminent jurist, Richard Goldstone —himself a Zionist —who headed a U.N. fact-finding mission that found Israel’s siege of Gaza a form of collective punishment in violation of the Geneva Conventions.

— Rod Such, Seattle

Get rid of blockade

The Israeli government certainly deserves to be taken to task for its outrageous actions against the people bringing supplies to Gaza.

The inhumane punishment of the people of Gaza by the Israeli-imposed blockade must end.

— John Reinke, Seattle

Something doesn’t add up

Get real. If this flotilla really wanted to deliver humanitarian aid, it would have done it the legal way and would have followed the process that Israel currently has in place —a process that lets Israel inspect and deliver over 15,000 tons of food, water, medicine, fuel, construction materials and other goods to Gaza each week.

The flotilla would have turned around when asked and would have been more than willing to let their ships be inspected to ensure that weapons and ammunition were not being smuggled into Gaza to harm Israelis.

Instead, this one particular ship continued on. This was an outright provocation that unfortunately left people dead and others injured. Yes, perhaps the Israelis could have handled the situation differently, but the reality is that there was a ship refusing a military command in a war zone.

When the leaders of this ship determined that they would forge forward, everyone on that ship was put at risk. If breaking through the blockade was the original stated intent, then anyone who decided to join the flotilla would have been aware of the possible risk they were taking.

Knives, sawed-off metal pipes, sling shots and other weapons were on this ship; they were used to fiercely attack the Israelis as they boarded. Why would these things be needed for a humanitarian mission?

— Marlo Rosenberg, Kirkland

Before casting judgment, remember good Israel has done

Israel has no problem with humanitarian ships coming in. However, the flotilla had been directed toward Ashdod, not Gaza City. The fact that the flotilla went to Gaza City instead of Ashdod should have been a clue that these “demonstrators” were interested in provoking an international incident, which they did.

I was troubled by the editorial statement that “Israel’s fits of arrogant, self-absorbed behavior go back to the attack on the USS Liberty.” Israel is usually forthcoming when dealing with its mistakes. Additionally, the fact that Israel would go out of its way to help in international crises such as the Haiti earthquake and tsunami in Southeast Asia should earn Israel the benefit of the doubt in such situations.

Please remember the good that Israel does before casting judgment on it.

— Joshua Normand, Seattle

A valid defense

Israel’s bungled defense of its blockade is deplorable. The reaction, however, is disproportionate and lays bare the irrational hatred of the Jewish state.

Gaza is at war with Israel, launching more than 5,000 missiles at civilians. No country in the world allows a warring nation to ship cargo into its territory without inspection. The West has firmly established the right and responsibility of Israel to restrict entrance to regions under terrorist control.

Monday, the Turks beat Israeli soldiers, threw them overboard and attempted to lynch them. They shot with stolen soldiers’ guns. The Israelis defended their lives.

Where is similar outrage over the 21 civilians killed Thursday by Somalia military, or last Saturday when NATO forces mistakenly killed 23 civilians in Afghanistan? What about 80 civilians slaughtered in Pakistan by militants or the 70 civilians killed by Jamaican forces all last week? Why is Israel alone vilified?

The Non-Proliferation Treaty Conference called for elimination of nuclear weapons in the Middle East last week. Israel was the only country named. There is no mention of Iran.

Even in Seattle, a local co-op debated a boycott of Israeli goods last week. There was no discussion of boycotting any other state.

We all know that Arab countries demand the elimination of the Jewish state. Extreme Islamic religions express hatred and train terrorists to kill Israelis. We also know if Israel did not vigorously defend its borders, it would soon be annihilated.

— Carolyn Hathaway, Yarrow Point