Neither correspondent appears to be familiar with what's actually happening and why. I suggest they leave out Bible quotes and read what Richard Goldstone found and reported on his UN fact-finding mission on Gaza (A/HRC/12/48 15 September 2009) Feel free to criticise him, Jay, even after you have noted his religious affiliation and CV -- most Zionists do.
If reading 560 foolscap pages is taking your interest in the reality of the situation too far, try The Punishment of Gaza, 146 pages by Gideon Levy 2010 covering the Gaza incursions from the Israeli journalist side and complementing the UN report -- feel free to criticise him also, even after you have noted his religious affiliation and CV.
Then, because what happens in Palestine is not isolated from the rest of the Levant, I recommend Inside Syria, 252 pages by Reese Erlich 2016, and Syria: a Recent History, 260 pages by John McHugo 2015.
H NORTON
Kaitoke
Limited view
The time has come to question why Jay Kuten has a weekly column in the Chronicle. The view from where I stand is that his ability to comment on issues other than those with an American flavour or personal interest is somewhat limited, and when faced with a contra view, the toys vacate the cot at a great rate of knots. A perfect example is his letter (Chronicle, Jan 18) in which he targets Fred Frederikse. Okay, so Kuten is Jewish and a Zionist to boot. Nothing wrong with that, as long as the Zionism is not allowed to be used as justification for atrocities carried out by the Israeli Defence Force (IDF).
What is the root of the Israel/Palestine problem? It is not religious differences, it is land. Land that was once called Palestine and happily occupied by both Jews and Palestinians until the UN in 1948 decided to "take" part of Palestine and gift it to the Jews in order to establish a Jewish homeland. That initial act is responsible for all the wars, invasions, cross-border strikes, refugee camps and displacement of people that has occurred since.
Perhaps we could compare the land issue to that in New Zealand. According to some, land was taken from Maori without justification, almost an exact reflection of what happened to Palestinian land and is still occurring to this day. Maori jump up and down; the result is vast amounts of cash and land compensation. Palestinians protest and what do they get? Rubber bullets, tear gas and destruction of their homes. If things escalate, the Palestinians fire a few inaccurate rockets, causing minimal damage and casualties. The IDF response: Bombs, missiles, tanks and infantry assaults. Talk about killing an ant with a 10-pound mallet! Yes, perhaps a slightly different form of protest, but what would happen here if compensation for Maori was stopped?
Unfortunately, Jay Kuten cannot make up his mind. He refers to several statements in Fred's op-ed as racist and anti-Semitic, but then says he is not accusing Fred of being either; how does that work? (Edited and abridged)
D PARTNER
Eastown
Israel letter
Quite a few years ago I read a letter to the editor in the NZ Herald that went something like this: "If the Arabs put down their arms, there would be no more war. If the Israelis put down their arms, there would be no more Israel."
I D FERGUSON
Whanganui
