Letters: Media paint Israel as aggressor

A reader responded to a Newsday editorial cartoon of side-by-side tombstones labeled "Palestinian civilians" and "Israeli civilians" ["Headstones larger for Palestinians," Letters, July 10]. He felt that the Palestinian tombstone should be larger, because more Palestinians have died.

There are some very good reasons for that statistic. The Jews spent their money on bomb shelters and a missile defense system to protect against attacks by the Palestinians. Hamas spent its money buying rockets from Iran and others.

When the Israeli military is about to blow up a terrorist missile site or offices or homes, it warns the inhabitants and neighbors first by phone. Israel then "knocks on the roof" with a flare or mortar dud as a final warning.

Has any other army in the history of the world first notified the enemy of a pending attack to prevent civilian casualties? These sites are usually hidden in a school, hospital or neighborhood to create a human civilian shield, which ensures the greatest "collateral damage."

Les Gold, Smithtown

"Israel hits civilian Gaza sites" [News, July 13] paints a totally wrong picture of what is going on in Israel. The article heading should be instead, "Hamas and other terrorists in Gaza target Israeli civilians."

Israel is defending itself and its civilian population against an unprovoked attack by terrorists who have vowed to destroy the country. This headline leaves the impression that it's the opposite.

Israel, as usual, alerted the Gaza residents to evacuate the sites of their targets, including homes that are used to launch rockets against Israeli cities. Hamas, on the other hand, urges civilians not to heed the warnings, making them in effect a human shield and causing their deaths.

The article says that neither Israel nor Gaza's Hamas rulers had signaled a willingness to stop. This is incorrect, since the Israeli government has made it clear that when the terror missiles stop, it will end its response.

Rony Kessler, Franklin Square

The coverage of the current hostilities between Israel and the Islamist terror group Hamas in Gaza has been extremely frustrating. Israel has been subjected to a double standard, not just in the current conflict but for most of its existence. What other country, if targeted by the type of indiscriminate rocket attack aimed at its population centers, would act any differently?

Richard and Dana Knox, Merrick

My heart goes out to all who have suffered the loss of their loved ones, but put the blame where it belongs. Hamas pulled the trigger that started this uprising, and because of this terrorist act, innocent people were killed on both sides.

I am concerned that our government thinks it can expect a peaceful resolution when dealing with terrorists. Our country, unfortunately, has seen what the minds of killers can do to destroy the lives of our families and friends. The public should stop reading and listening to propaganda hogwash.

Did President Barack Obama and our military leaders sit down with Osama bin Laden? I think not.

Israel is our ally, and the United States and other countries should support whatever this country needs to survive.

Margie Boykevisch, Dix Hills

'Nonsense' float mixes up founding

I attended an Independence Day Parade put on by the Village of Patchogue with bands, floats and antique cars ["Having a blast," exploreLI, July 2]. It was indeed enjoyable.

One float, however, was disturbing. It was from the Patchogue Lions Club and had a "1776" theme. There was a Thomas Jefferson figure dressed in Colonial garb with a quill pen writing at a desk, as well as several other Founding Fathers standing and talking, presumably at the Constitutional Convention. And then there was a Benjamin Franklin figure standing next to a 7-foot-tall cross emblazoned with a large caption, "God Bless America." The sides of the float also had crosses with the same caption -- seemingly so we wouldn't miss the message.

As an American, I'm offended. The float implied that there is a state religion. This is a gross misreading of history. Our Founding Fathers believed religion to be a private matter and state religion abhorrent. America would be a country with no established religion. Indeed, Americans had fled those kinds of repressive regimes for freedom of religion here and declared it with our most precious document: a First Amendment guarantee.

We need to stop these displays of nonsense history. They teach our children nothing and they denigrate our national traditions.

Bill Bernstein, Huntington Station

Editor's note: The writer is a retired history professor from SUNY Canton.