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Thursday, March 28
The Indiana Daily Student

opinion letters

LETTER: Recent column on Israel's killings in Gaza is misinformed

To the editor,

Matthew Waterman's recent column ("The US is Complicit in Israel's Killings in Gaza,") is dangerously misinformed, particularly in its assertion that the recent violence on the Israel-Gaza border betrays the "true face of Israel" as "a racist and brutal occupier." 

It is hardly, as the author maintains, "[t]he preferred excuse of Israel’s apologists ... that the protests are in fact violent riots organized by the terrorist group Hamas, with the goal of slaughtering Jews." Rather, this is precisely the explanation of events provided by Hamas leaders themselves. 

In a recent interview, Hamas co-founder Mahmoud al-Zahar maintained that describing the events in Gaza as peaceful protests is a purposeful deception, stating, "when we talk about ‘peaceful resistance,’ we are deceiving the public. This is peaceful resistance bolstered by a military force and by security agencies, and enjoying tremendous popular support.” 

Hamas leadership has also confirmed that the vast majority of those killed in this recent incident were its confederates. The evidence is clear: Events on the Israel-Gaza border were the result of Hamas' violence and provocation, to which the Israeli military was forced to respond in justified defense. 

In fact, the very raison d'etre of Hamas, the terrorist organization ruling Gaza (an area free of Israeli occupation for well over a decade now) is the destruction of Israel, with delusions of the further destruction of all Jews. 

Statement after statement to this effect are readily available in official documents and in reputable journalistic accounts. The reality is that what Mr. Waterman calls "Israel's despicable behavior" is actually Israel exercising the first duty of any sovereign state: ensuring the safety and welfare of its citizens. 

I would imagine that if any other state were attacked on one of its borders by a hostile group, it would respond in a fashion similar to that of Israel during this past incident, despite the sound and fury from the U.N.

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