Some reasons to be unhappy with Israel

Susan Estrich's op-ed "Before you start beating up on Israel" ignores the obvious reasons why hostilities still exist between the Palestinian people and the Israeli colonizers.

It is well known that a large percentage of land intended to be a Palestinian state has been illegally taken by Israel. Palestinian people have been denied basic human rights such as the right to move freely within their remaining territory. Their land, which is already much smaller than what had been agreed upon by the United Nations when the state of Israel was created in 1948, is still being illegally expropriated by Israel, leaving smaller and smaller amounts to the Palestinians as time goes on. One cannot forcefully take land from another and expect no adverse reaction.

However, attacking and killing civilians in any context is unacceptable. And this includes those bringing humanitarian aid to the besieged population in Gaza. According to the Israeli human rights group, B'Tselem, the last Israeli military assault on Gaza in 2008-2009 resulted in 1,385 Palestinian deaths, of which 762 were civilian noncombatants. There were also three Israeli civilians killed.

The Israeli military has likely committed war crimes in its conduct during this invasion, as determined through investigations by international observers and human rights organizations. For example, the Israeli military used phosphorous artillery shells in civilian areas, inflicting serious and fatal burns on a civilian population. B'Tselem reports that because of the significant damage done by the Israeli military to the electric, water and sanitary systems in Gaza, the civilian population in Gaza is suffering and being subjected to a collective punishment that is also illegal under international law.

I hope that this provides some of the answers to Ms. Estrich's question as to what Israel is really being condemned for.

Jeffrey Mack

West Chicago