Gaza headline was biased, inaccurate

In your AP article on the conflict in Gaza, your headline writer shamefully takes sides not just by inferring that it is Israel that turned Gaza into a battlefield, but stating word for word as such.

Not only is this not fair, it is factually incorrect.

Gaza was turned over to the Palestinian Authority in the so-called process of "Land for Peace" that started with the Oslo Peace Accords.

Israel at great cost to its own citizens, who had to be forcibly removed, had the hope that this could move the process forward and at least find peace on its southwestern border.

Instead of turning this wonderful piece of land on the Mediterranean Sea into a showcase of peace and prosperity, the Palestinian Authority had a bloody power struggle in which Hamas defeated the somewhat moderate Fattah and started raining rockets on Israel the next day.

Hamas now has obtained Iranian rockets with a 12-mile range rather that the six-mile range rocket they were using. Instead of 20,000 Israelis under threat of rocket attack, there are now 250,000 Israelis threatened by rocket attack.

Israel has responded to this new threat with overwhelming force but not with all the force at its disposal.

If your headline writers cannot remain neutral, can they at least come up with a headline that lines up with the facts. I would suggest a more factual headline such as "Hamas turns Gaza into battlefield." Since that is not going to happen, how about, "Conflict escalates in Gaza."

Richard Armour

Arlington Heights