Israel has lost moral high ground

A recent letter writer described Messrs. Obama and Kerry as Palestinian sympathizers even though they are not. But the Palestinians need sympathizers to overcome this humanitarian disaster that Israel imposes.

Americans don’t know what the Palestinians are like because when conflictive issues are discussed, the media only present Israeli representatives; they do not allow us to hear Palestinian representatives.

To say that Israel deserves the West Bank is nonsense. It’s like someone coming to your door and demanding that your home belongs to them because their ancestors lived here 3,000 years ago. The land was partitioned by the UN in 1948 and given to both peoples.

There is terrorism on both sides — Hamas’s individual terrorism versus Israel’s state terrorism. There is extremism on both sides — Islamists versus Israel’s ultra-orthodox religionists and secular ultra-nationalists. Both sides make unrealistic demands. And both sides are minorities.

Mr. Netanyahu, like many leaders in today’s world, is not capable of handling these challenges without using deadly force. His whole persona is military; he was not trained to negotiate.

Israel has come to be looked upon as a rogue state because it uses its advanced military power to oppress an unarmed people. It has lost any moral high ground, and will regain some only when it is willing to take risks for peace.

This story was originally published January 4, 2017 at 4:42 PM with the headline "Israel has lost moral high ground."