Dear editor,
Most people were deeply shocked hearing of the 298 civilians killed in the Malaysian airline disaster. Even though we don’t yet know who fired the missile, we condemn them because it’s always wrong to kill innocent people. It doesn’t matter the nationality of the dead civilians, Dutch or Malaysian or Canadian, it is an outrage that any military would so indiscriminately kill civilians.
About the same time as the bodies were falling in flames through the Ukrainian skies, the number of Palestinians killed in the recent conflict in Gaza reached 298. That number continues to climb. According to the UN, most of the dead in Gaza are innocent civilians. Just like those on the plane, they were men and women and children with no desire for war. They were very much like you and me.
Middle East politics are complex and confusing. Hamas and Israel are old enemies with conflicting stories to tell, and it’s understandable that many turn away in frustration. Hamas is listed as a terrorist organization, but it won a democratically elected majority in 2006. There are 21 UN resolutions condemning Israel as “an Occupying Power.” This is all pretty confusing. What we need is leadership in Canada to help us find the best way to help both Israel and Palestine. How does Stephen Harper guide us through the mess?
“We condemn this terrorist group’s attacks against Israel. We recognize and support Israel’s right to defend itself against such terrorist attacks.”
Okay...but in the ongoing battles in Gaza, the math is always the same – two Israeli civilians killed by Hamas, 400 Palestinian civilians killed by Israel (by the time you read this it will be more).
As Israel exercises its right to defend itself, the bodies pile higher and higher, most as innocent as those who were blasted from the Ukrainian sky.
You can find a clue to Stephen Harper’s strategy with Israel by watching this YouTube link bit.ly/1ucsuIl
If Stephen Harper were a true friend of Israel, after pledging his support, he would question the strategy of killing thousands of civilians.
Every Israeli bomb that crashes into a Palestinian home sends another traumatized, angry, desperate child off to Hamas.
Steve Schoenhoff
Courtenay