Resist the impulse to let loose the dogs of war
Washington: The attacks against Israel can be openly, but cautiously, condemned. I condemn the killing of Jews by Palestinians as much as I condemn Jews killing Palestinians. However, don’t yield to extremists on either side who want you to adopt their positions. Don’t buy into the propaganda of either side. Do your research to discover the truth beyond topical media talking points.
Many Jews say you are either with Israel or against Israel. These are the extremist voices you always hear in the Jewish community when certain leaders can’t control your voice, beliefs or behavior. They often fall back on calling you antisemitic. Don’t fall for it. Informed Americans know that neither side has completely clean hands, and it’s our role to seek peaceful solutions to the conflict. This is especially true when Israeli leadership talks about wiping Palestinians off the face of the Earth. Israel’s right to respond to Hamas is not unlimited. I hope President Biden is ready to lead or this could be the beginning of all-out war in the Middle East. With the billions of dollars America sends to Israel every year, Israel can handle its own problems with Hamas.
As a nearly 60-year-old American, I have long tired of the fighting in the Middle East. Frankly, as a direct descendant of African slaves in America whose great-grandfather was a Native American, I have always thought that if Blacks Americans, whites and Native Americans can coexist in America, then the Palestinians and Israelis had better start working a lot damn harder to coexist in the Middle East. Andrellos Mitchell
Continuous killing
Hartsdale, N.Y.: It is evident that blatant killing is happening right before our eyes for the last 10 days. Can we draw the line at targeting and bombing 80 ambulances? In 100 days in 1994 in Rwanda, some 800,000 Tutsis were killed by Hutus. No world leader of any country intervened to stop it. Bill Clinton later apologized for his failure to respond. Tell President Biden to back an immediate ceasefire for the sake of our humanity. Pamela Daly
Know what you support
Brooklyn: Everyone, including students, has the right to demonstrate, but people must know what they stand for. The students at colleges and universities in our country who celebrated the vicious attack on civilians by Hamas are either supporting terrorists or they are blind followers, demonstrating without understanding what they are supporting. Neither quality is attractive to an employer. And if they say the Israelis have committed similar atrocities, they haven’t studied history, for 6 million Jews were the victims of atrocities within the lifetime of my parents. As a result, Jews do not commit atrocities on civilian populations, but Hamas does hide its weapons in schools and hospitals, using its own people as human shields. Finally, if these students are such true believers in their cause, why are they hiding behind masks? If they studied Thoreau in college, they would have learned that if you take a stand, you must take responsibility for your actions. Barbara Barran
Jewish questions
Brooklyn: The Passover Haggadah states, “In each and every generation they rise up against us to destroy us.” Yet Jewish people always manage to survive. While this is something to be proud of, here are some sobering questions: Why do antisemites keep trying so hard to destroy Jews, knowing the ultimate failure rate? How do Jews grapple with escalating trauma and anxiety? And why can’t Jews have just one small ancestral nation in this world to call their own? Ellen Levitt
Same disgrace, dif place
Bronx: What’s going on in the so-called Middle East is what has happened in the past over and over again. It happened in America, Australia, South Africa, you name it, and now it’s happening in Israel. Europeans are pushing people of color out via genocide. The twist in this case is the Israelis are pushing the Palestinians out, but Arabs pushed Blacks out first. Blacks are the true lost sheep of Israel. In 1952, Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser said, “You will never be able to live here in peace, because you left here Black and came back white.” Jonathan Solomon
Revelations
Fort Lauderdale, Fla.: In the near future, several nations are going to invade Israel (Ezekiel 38). They don’t realize it, but they will be messing with the “apple of God’s eye” (Zechariah 2:8-10). They have had interim victories on the battlefield over the years, but when the dust settles from this invasion, all the invading troops will have fallen on the mountains of Israel (Ezekiel 38:21-22). At that time, Jewish survivors will look upon the One who gave them victory over these nations: “They will look upon Me whom they pierced, and they will mourn for Him and weep bitterly over Him” (Zechariah 12:10). With great contrition and mourning, Jews will realize that their long-awaited Messiah is standing before them, Jesus Christ, the One whom they have rejected for almost 2,000 years. It’s going to be the greatest homecoming of all time, not just for Jews, but for all who have trusted Him as their sin-bearing savior and risen Lord. Jim Black
Former POTUS
Bay Shore, L.I.: I can’t help but imagine what a President Donald Trump’s actions would be during the current world’s turmoil — statesman, arbitrator, leader? Or, “I’ll send my son-in-law!” John T. O’Connell
Butt out
Bronx: Let the people of Ukraine, Russia, Israel and Palestine take care of their own problems. Mind your business, U.S.A. We have our own problems here in the U.S. to deal with and we are sending money and weapons to these countries while our own military needs to be brought up to speed to protect us from China, Russia and North Korea. These countries know that our military force is not as strong as it should be if we are to protect the American people in the future. Jimmy Durda
Smug mug
Utica, N.Y.: If I see one more picture of that idiot FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried in the Daily News with his scraggly haircut I am going to scream! I’m sick of his stupid smirk that seems to say, “I did it and I’m gonna get away with it.” Enough is enough. I’m about ready to send in an army of barbers to fix his ass. Just saying! Francisco Matos
Canned laughter
Bronx: I can not believe that in this day and age, the networks are still insulting our intelligence by adding laugh tracks to sitcoms, ergo the new “Frasier” sitcom. Joseph Caggiano
Go with the flow
Flushing: Voicer Susan Scharf writes, “Riding in the same direction [as cars] is a terrible idea.” When I first read the New York State Driver’s Manual decades ago, it indicated that riding a bicycle in the same direction as the cars were going would make it easier for drivers to gauge a cyclist’s speed. The article “Bad year for cyclists” (Oct. 17) gives statistics, probable causes and city plans for additional bike lanes and protected greenway bike lanes. Unmentioned, however, is what I — as an avid cyclist in my younger years and an automobile driver for nearly 60 years — perceive as two causes of many accidents: bicycles not having lights and reflectors as required by law, and pedestrians and cyclists wearing dark clothing, thereby being less visible to motorists. Irvin Barnett
Share the sidewalk
Woodside: To Voicer Hana O’Haire complaining about slow walkers: Some citizens of NYC are older, slower, limited or perhaps have disabilities. Those of us on canes, crutches or who just have a slower gait actually pay taxes and have the same rights you do. So, maybe you should show a little Christian charity, kindness, consideration and respect for your elders, and maybe be a little less selfish. And an even better idea: Maybe Hana should leave a little earlier for school! Joan Bergen
Familiar story
Bergenfield, N.J.: All of Trump’s rants about the 2020 election being rigged and now saying that the trials are rigged reminds me of the little boy who kept crying wolf! We all know how that story ended. Jack De Lucia
Voice of the People
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