Palestinians' needs must be recognized

The (French, Dutch, Yugoslav, Czech, Norwegian, Polish, Greek, etc.) Underground Resistance fought the five-year Nazi occupation of their countries with whatever small weapons they had. The Nazis responded by leveling whole towns for acts of resistance to the German occupation. They said, "It's your own fault; quiet down and stop fighting the occupation of your country and we'll stop blowing you up!"

Is there a parallel here with what's happening in Gaza? Israel has a right to its safety and security, of course. But what does Israel expect the Palestinians to do when their homeland has been occupied for 45 years?

Benjamin Netanyahu's fear of Hamas obliterating Israel is ridiculous. It could eliminate Hamas in a week and have the peace it wants. It just can't have the Palestinian homeland, too. But judging from the 550,000 Israelis that Netanyahou's government has settled in the West Bank since the occupation began, isn't it clear that Israel has no intentions of ever leaving Palestine?

John Kerry can negotiate until he's blue in the face, but Israel's people will never have peace (and neither will America) until Netanyahou resolves the core problem and marches out of the West Bank. Make no mistake - Israel holds the power and controls the peace in the Mideast. Israel needs a change in government that would recognize the legitimate needs of the Palestinian people and bring a peace to this troubled holy land - and to America and the world.

Robert E. Griffith

Arlington Heights