Letters to the Editor: Israelis and Jews fear calls for 'intifada' for very good reasons

Los Angeles Times Opinion
·2 min read
298
LOS ANGELES, CA-NOVEMBER 4, 2023, 2023:Ameen Bedouin, 34, left, joins other protesters, demanding an end to the Israeli invasion of Gaza during a pro-Palestinian rally outside the Israeli Consulate on Wilshire Blvd. in Los Angeles. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
People demonstrate during a pro-Palestinian rally outside the Israeli Consulate on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles on Nov. 4. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

To the editor: Although the official definition of the word "intifada" excludes mention of murdering Jews, as Daoud Kuttab notes in his op-ed article, in actual fact the method used to prosecute intifada has long included killing Jews.

Palestinians are hampered by this inconvenient fact, which is highlighted by these numbers: In one day, Oct. 7, Hamas militants murdered 1,200 people in Israel. In the more than 65 days since, the Israeli military bombardment of the Gaza Strip has resulted in around 18,000 deaths.

If the Israelis were killing at the same rate as Hamas, they would have killed more than 80,000 people in Gaza.

This certainly illustrates that Israel is not committing genocide, and that murder — the building block of genocide — is definitely a part of intifada.

Susan Wolfson, Glendale

..

To the editor: It may be true that the first intifada was indeed peaceful and nonviolent, but that was given up.

The Oslo accords failed not only because of Israel’s actions, but also because of those by Palestinian leaders. The late Yasser Arafat, leader of the Palestine Liberation Organization, also failed to abide by the agreement.

The victims of Hamas' attack on Oct. 7 were almost entirely peaceful villagers, farmers and music lovers.

We are not talking about just the word "intifada" now. We are talking about real actions and "from the river to the sea."

Esther Friedberg, Studio City

..

To the editor: The mistake of Kuttab and Palestinian leaders — and it is a big mistake — is the belief that the powerful practice of nonviolence is temporary.

In fact, you practice it ... forever. You practice it without regard to the outcome. This is indeed the whole point.

Just imagine the Palestinian people practicing nonviolent protest both against the oppression of their murderous Hamas government in the Gaza Strip and the Israel occupation of the West bank. The entire world would rally to their cause, and this includes the vast majority of Israeli citizens.

JJ Flowers, Dana Point

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.