Tom Van Devender's letter accuses Israel of genocide. He states numbers that are demonstrably false, and uses a double standard to judge Israel. Citing 60,000 deaths implies they're all civilians, but Hamas numbers include 12,000 natural deaths in Gaza, 1,900 Hamas misfired rockets that killed Gazans. Just one, at Al Ahli hospital, killed 500 Palestinians, and include 20,000 Hamas terrorists killed. Even so, we can agree many civilians died. What do you think happens in war, particularly a war initiated by Palestinians? Two million civilians died in the Korean War, an average of 54,000 per month, and Saudi Arabia killed 19,000 civilians in Yemen, using U.S. weapons. This is the double standard
Utilizing dishonest numbers and not acknowledging the lengths Israel has gone to avoid civilian casualties, you succumb to the false genocide charge. It cheapens the word, making it meaningless when needed to describe a real genocide.
Barbara Katz
Green Valley
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
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