Israel’s security comes first
Re Leonard Torres’ letter Stand Up to Netanyahu: The two-month war that took place during the summer was the direct result of the kidnapping and murder of three Jewish teenagers that was planned and sanctioned by Hamas as well as the ongoing firing of rockets and mortars into Israeli civilian population centers.
Torres should also take note of the of 32 tunnels dug by Hamas into Israel from Gaza. The only purpose was to kidnap, kill and terrorize innocent Israeli civilians
The Obama administration, unlike some former administrations, has no understanding of the situation and the mentality in the Middle East. Thankfully, we do have a Congress that does seem to understand it.
I favor peaceful coextistence between Israelis and Palestinians and the two-state solution. However, Israel’s security must be paramount. Experience has taught Israel this. When Israel withdrew from Southern Lebanon, it was rewarded by Hezbollah’s terrorist acts. When Israel withdrew from Gaza, it faced incessant rocket fire and terrorism from Hamas. A tremendous impediment to successful negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians is that there is no authoritative representative on the Palestinian side with whom to negotiate. Moreover, historically and to this point in time, Palestinian negotiators have refused to recognize the right of Israel to exist
Barry Reichenberg, Fort Lauderdale
This story was originally published October 26, 2014 at 3:00 PM with the headline "Israel’s security comes first."