Letter to the Editor: Appalled by the violence inflicted by Hamas

Last May my wife and I traveled to Israel/Palestine. We spent most of our time in the West Bank and met with several Palestinian Christian leaders. These leaders all work for peaceful, nonviolent solutions to the intractable problems in the area. I know they are appalled by the horrific violence inflicted by Hamas on Israeli citizens, as am I.

I understand that any elected official in the US is obligated to express full-throated support for Israel, and especially so at a time like this. And I agree with President Biden there is never an excuse for the brutality unleashed by Hamas last week on Israel. But the government of Israel has been systematically brutalizing Palestinians for 75 years, and even more so during the past year. While there may be no excuse for terrorist acts, what happened was in many ways predictable due to the military occupation and apartheid state imposed by Israel. And Israel’s response to Hamas’ actions is itself a war crime by definition. What pains me is knowing that our country has been supporting and condoning Israel’s policies and actions — actions that are recognized by most of the rest of the world as illegal and immoral.

I implore the Biden administration, for the sake of both the Palestinian and Israeli people (not to mention the health of the American soul) to make clear to Israel through whatever means possible that U.S. support will be conditioned on Israel’s willingness to change its policies and actions, to recognize the human rights of Palestinians, and to provide reparations for the harms done.

Larry Anderson

Newton