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Israel leaves Gaza residents with few options

It seems to me that all the media are biased on the side of Israel. We need to hear the rest of the story. I see this through the eyes of my daughter, Pam Bailey, who resides in Washington, D.C., but lived in Gaza for several months.

The majority of the Palestinians are very anti-violence. True, it is unfortunate that Hamas is in power, but they were voted in democratically with the hope that Hamas would do something for their cause. And what is that cause? Freedom!

Israel was established so the Israelis could finally have their own territory. The Palestinians were given the West Bank, West Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip. But since then, Israel has encroached on their territory by building a huge number of settlements in that area, taking over property that has been in the families for centuries. ALL this is against the ruling of the Geneva Convention.

Here is a partial list of the grievances:

• The tunnels - used for transporting needed supplies for building and other necessities. If these necessities were available without sanctions, the tunnels would not be needed.

• Israel has blockaded the shoreline, entry to and from the area by the residents.

• Israel has destroyed crops and wells so the Palestinians cannot work their fields and export their goods. If they could do that, they would be self-sufficient and would not need a pause for "humanitarian aid."

• Israel has built roads that only Israelites can use, setting up checkpoints that inhibit the Palestinians to reach school, jobs and medical care.

• Israel controls the entry into and out of Gaza, so when they told the Gazans to leave - to where, and how?

The Palestinians need a voice. Where is it?

Penny Bailey

Des Plaines

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