Israeli brutality ignored

A lot has been written and said condemning the suicide bombings in Israel, and rightly so. The killing of innocent civilians can never be excused, no matter how it is done. Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR) is an organization that does not applaud the taking of innocent lives. But it is an organization that thinks that all innocent civilians should be protected - not only Israeli ones.

These suicide bombings receive a lot of publicity in the media and great cries of outrage and condemnation from the public in the U.S., Canada and the "civilized world" in general. Where are the cries of outrage and condemnation from these same people when innocent Palestinians are killed? Who cries out for the little children who are shot in the head or heart while playing or eating a sandwich in their own backyards? For the people killed by rockets fired from Israeli gunships into a crowd? For the women in labour whose babies die at checkpoints because the Israeli Occupation soldiers won't let them go to a hospital? For the sick who die or suffer because they are prevented from receiving medical help? For the wounded who are denied an ambulance for hours and left to bleed to death? For the thousands of people whose houses are demolished and who are made homeless? For the thousands who are imprisoned in their homes during curfews that often last weeks or months? For the thousands who have had their olive trees chopped down by settlers, who are beaten and shot at while trying to harvest their produce, their only means of making a living?

These things are hardly, if ever, mentioned in the Western media. Whenever a suicide attack happens, it is written that it happened after a period of "relative calm" or non-violence. That is a lie. The Israeli violence against Palestinians never stops. Palestinians are injured or killed, dispossessed and evicted from their homes on a daily basis. There is never a period of "relative calm" for the Palestinians; their suffering never gets a break. The media speaks out for the Israeli victims without fail. We at SPHR try to remind the public that there are a far greater number of innocent victims on the other side of the conflict, and they should not be forgotten.

» Dana Samawi

Israel excessively bashed

Regarding several articles in your Feb. 5 edition, I am struck by the anti-Semitic and anti-Israel tone of your paper.

I am part of Friends of Israel and have little sympathy for the cause espoused by the Palestinian and Jewish Unity (PAJU) group. I also believe that too many of your readers - and québécois people in general - have been mislead by the abhorrent living conditions the Palestinians now endure and conveniently blame Israel for their plight.

In 1948, Palestinians were offered a chance to create a Palestinian state beside the state of Israel but they refused. Arab leaders preferred to let their brethren reside in squalor for over 50 years, rather than admit that Israel is not about to disappear. It is not the fault of the Palestinians, the Israelis or even the Lebanese that they live this way. It is entirely the fault of their leaders who encourage hatred and uprisings. Even now, these leaders are refusing to make peace.

Over the years, Israel has managed to flourish, to admit Jews who were dispossessed by other countries - especially Arab nations - and still build up an enviable position on the world stage. Once considered underdogs and weaklings, Israelis have learned to defend themselves and prosper. It is now envy that fuels this very antagonism against this state.

Sadly, Palestinians have not learned anything but hatred and deprivation. Just like we joke that the Americans blame Canada for anything that goes wrong, so too the Arab states find that it is much easier to blame Israel instead of themselves. As many Americans have learned, it is democracy and freedom that most threaten the Arab way of life. However, why do the Europeans, and especially the British, still harbour negative reactions towards Jews? Why do your columnists feel that the Palestinians have been deprived, when in reality it is their own leadership that has led them astray? You almost admit as much in your column on Lebanon ["Return to the camps"].

I am 100 per cent positive that your paper has no intention of publishing a pro-Israel viewpoint. I invite you as a guest of mine to debate your ideas with my group if you feel you can take a giant step and learn both sides of this story.

» Bryna Gartenberg

Grammar and bestiality

In your "Damn Right" section [Feb. 5], I read the sentence, "Unlike nearly every other modern nation, bestiality is not a criminal offence in Sweden."

I am curious to know which nations are a criminal offence in Sweden and how it is that bestiality counts as a nation. Perhaps the writer meant, "Unlike nearly every other modern abomination…," though I would find it hard to believe that the vice is particularly modern.

» Cecilia Grayson

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