Israel has endured decades of terrorism

To the editor: Michael Busche’s letter is riddled with more bias than the body of a suicide bomber. Hezbollah is the de facto government of Lebanon. Hamas is the government of the Palestinian territories. While both of these terrorist organizations choose to lob dumb and blind missiles and bombs directly into civilian centers like the city of Haifa and Nazareth, the birthplace of Jesus, killing innocent Israeli (Jew and Arab alike) children and adults, at least the Israelis dropped leaflets telling civilians to get out before they bombed the civilian neighborhoods where the cowardly Hezbollah terrorists used these civilian country persons as their shields. Who is guilty of terrorism? Who started these conflicts? Could they not calculate what the Israeli response would be? Does Michael Busche not understand that Israel is fighting for the U.S. here, and for Lebanon, and Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia? Isn’t he at least a little disappointed in the leadership of Hezbollah and Hamas in stooping to such means? Doesn’t thousands of rockets indiscriminately fired into civilian centers remind him, too, of Imperial Japan’s air raids? Doesn’t he wonder about the counter productiveness of that, and the long angry memories of Jews, whether Israelis or not. Isn’t he saddened by the outrages of Hezbollah and Hamas? Can’t he imagine the rage in the Israeli street at decades of hostility and violence of organizations like Hezbollah and Hamas sworn to the destruction of Israel and the deaths of millions of Jews? It’s not just the situation in the region (which could be brought to an end immediately with the release of the Israeli prisoners as advocated by virtually all governments) which is so sad given the terrible loss of life and property, it’s the chronic anti-semitism that creeps out of the closet here at home from the people who think the Palestinians deserve peace and statehood, that Hezebollah deserves a free hand, including invading Israel and killing and kidnapping its soldiers, but that Israel deserves.what, Mr. Busche? Ron Marin Branchville