The Art of Letter-writing

As my blog readers know, I am a letter writer. The challenge of disproving a thesis, showing the facts are wrong, presenting a more thruthful perspective and trying to rank-out the other person is a challenge I seek and, to be modest, seem to do well.

Give me 150 words or less and it is a challenge.

Two years ago or so, I met with a CAMERA [female] person and suggested they reprint the letters that get published and send them out so that (a) others can see how a good letter reads (and should be therefore written); (b) others can learn about facts; and (c) the letter writer gets to schep nachas.

They took my advice, thankfully.

Anyway, that was an introduction to my publishing some letters that were published in today's NYTimes "Letters to the Editor" section (although the first one is an example of how people exploit a letter to pervert reality and truth - but that, too, is a lesson to learn from):-

Making Demands on Israel and Hamas (5 Letters)

To the Editor:

In "A Problem That Can't Be Ignored" (editorial, June 17), you make the proposal that as a precondition for peace in the Middle East, Hamas needs to renounce terrorism, acknowledge Israel's existence as a sovereign nation and abide by formal agreements previously signed by lawful Palestinian negotiators.

These are fair requests that regrettably are not followed by similar requests of the government of Israel.

To be truly balanced, your proposal should include that the Israeli government needs to stop the killing of Palestinian civilians, including women and children, recognize a viable Palestinian state, and stop the unlawful seizure of Palestinian land.

Cesar Chelala
New York, June 18, 2006
•

You write (editorial, June 17), "Already, rockets are raining down again on innocent Israeli and Palestinian civilians, inflaming passions on both sides."

It's one thing to take an evenhanded approach to the "problem"; it's another thing, however, to fail to distinguish between the rockets the Palestinian militants-terrorists routinely launch on innocent Israeli civilians — which are specifically intended to inflict as many civilian casualties as possible — and the rockets that Israel's military allegedly "rained down" on innocent Palestinian civilians (still a matter of dispute with respect to the Gaza beach incident), which are specifically designed to avoid civilian casualties.

There is a fundamental — and moral — difference between inflicting civilian casualties as an unfortunate byproduct of defending against terrorists as opposed to inflicting civilian casualties as a modus operandi.

While both may "inflame passions," they are hardly equivalent.

Ari M. Berman
New York, June 18, 2006
•

Your call for the Arab countries to get involved and the United States to stay involved in the continuing and deteriorating conflict in the Middle East is timely and important. It is surely, as you imply, one more piece of fodder for the cause of international terrorism.

But your editorial does ignore one extremely important truth, and that is that the Israeli-Palestinian issue is not a quid-pro-quo peace settlement awaiting an implementation.

The "battlefield/playing field" is uneven and tilted powerfully against the Palestinian people. The death and casualty numbers for each of the parties to this conflict tragically illustrate this imbalance.

The Palestinians are an oppressed people in dire need of social, economic, health and security assistance. What security forces they do have are ill equipped and often undisciplined and are pitted not only against internal warring factions but also against one of the largest militaries in the world, backed by the world's leading military power.

Before there can be any just and therefore lasting peace settlement in the Middle East, this gross imbalance must be acknowledged and addressed by the United States, Israel's chief international sponsor and the only nation on the planet Israel will, perhaps, obey.

Frederick W. Nairn
Minnetonka, Minn., June 17, 2006
•

Re "4 Months Into Aid Cutoff, Gazans Barely Scrape By" (news article, June 18):

Your article about the inability of Palestinians living in Gaza and the West Bank to obtain sufficient food because of a lack of funds was more poignant than usual.

But over the last several months the various Palestinian groups have continued to bombard Israel with rockets. How do they get enough money to support their continued bombing and terrorist activities?

It seems to me that a better use for this money would be to help local residents with food and other living expenses.

There is something incongruous about the Palestinians' complaining to the world that they need financial help while continuing to spend on military activities. Jerrold

P. Katz
Auburndale, Mass., June 18, 2006
•

As I read your article detailing the suffering of many Palestinians, one thought kept gnawing away at me.

The Palestinian people voted Hamas into power in the recent election. In doing so, the Palestinians officially committed their government to a policy calling for the destruction of Israel through the use of terror, which targets civilians to be maimed and murdered.

While human suffering is always sad, sometimes it can be educational and beneficial. How else will a people learn from its mistakes unless it sees its evil designs boomerang back into its own face?

I pray for the day when the Palestinian people will force their government to seek genuine peace rather than the destruction of another people.

Yaacov Lerner
Great Neck, N.Y., June 19, 2006

Oh, and if you read Hebrew, here's my letter published today in the Book Magazine Supplement of Haaretz responding to Professor Anita Shapira's claim that Menachem Begin referred to all his opponents as "nazis" (ridiculous).