Columnist spews Israel's rhetoric

Charles Krauthammer would like all readers of the Daily Herald to believe it is Hamas that is responsible for the current Israeli brutality against Gaza ("Cease-fire is the only option for Israel," Jan. 3). Yet instead of offering actual facts in his column, he offers the same rhetoric that Israel is simply defending itself.

How can he claim that Israel is "committed to saving as many lives as possible" when it drops 2,000 pound bombs on homes and mosques and kills more than 500 Palestinians, including at least 74 children, over eight days?

How can he claim that those in Gaza have no grievance against Israel when since the beginning of 2006 they have been under siege by Israel with only humanitarian aid allowed in and even that was severely limited during the past few weeks?

How can Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza have no grievance against Israel when for the past 41 years Israel has occupied Palestinian lands, putting Palestinians through checkpoints and curfews and taking away their dignity as human beings by destroying their homes and olive groves?

How can he claim that Palestinians worldwide have no grievance against Israel when, for the past 60 years, Israel has succeeded in denying the truth of what its founding involved: the planned destruction of hundreds of Palestinian villages, the massacre of thousands of Palestinians and the expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians.

How can he claim that this is not a "morally complicated" conflict when those that are oppressed are criticized and blamed while the oppressors are defended and supported? Israel claims to be teaching the Palestinians a lesson. The only lesson I see from Israeli terror is how to be completely immoral and inhumane and still have the nerve to claim justification.

Ramah Kudaimi

South Holland