Palestinians' desire for separate state should be addressed

Palestinians want separate state

The Oct. 10 letter “Palestinian attack shows it's all-or-nothing” could not be further from the truth when it states that Palestinians “want all of Israel.”

In fact, what the Palestinians want and deserve is the end of Israel’s occupation in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, the end of the blockade on the civilian population of Gaza and a separate Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders with East Jerusalem, its capital.

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“Netanyahu bears responsibility for this Israel-Gaza war" was the headline on an editorial in Haaretz, one of Israel's major newspapers.

Ray Gordon, Venice

$6B to Iran played no part in attack

The raids on Israel had hardly begun before the right-wing noise machine began blaming President Joe Biden.

The claim was that Iran had the funds to support Hamas because Biden made the $6 billion held in South Korea available for purchasing humanitarian supplies.

This occurred one month ago, but the buildup of weaponry and training for the Israel attack surely took months to achieve, meaning that these funds had no part in it.

It should also be noted that when President Donald Trump canceled the nuclear agreement with Iran, the new sanctions imposed contained exceptions for a limited amount of oil sales whose payment would be exempt from the sanctions on bank transfers but held for humanitarian purchases.

This was justified as a means of keeping oil prices down.

That applied to Iran’s money in South Korea but Iran never submitted payment requests claiming direct payment for shipments made before the sanctions. The transfer of the funds to Qatar is still held under those conditions.

If the claim that making funds available for humanitarian aid frees up other funds to support terrorists, the blame should go to where the program began. And that’s not Biden.

Len Roessler, Sarasota

Back to school, back to nutritious meals

National School Lunch Week, Oct. 9-13, is an opportunity to highlight the importance of school meals. These meals are convenient and reliable for parents, and the healthiest food of the day for many kids.

And it’s not just lunch: All across Florida, kids can start their day with a healthy school breakfast.

School meals are a lifeline for the 1 in 7 kids in our state who live with hunger. The meals nourish their bodies and minds – and fuel them for academic success and good health.

And for parents struggling to make ends meet amid the high cost of food, school meals can help stretch the monthly budget to cover other necessities.

If your kids aren’t already eating school breakfast and lunch, it’s not too late.

Check with your school district to see if you may be eligible to receive them for a reduced price or at no cost, and if you need to complete a form to enroll your child.

Sky Beard, director of No Kid Hungry Florida, Melbourne

Not forced out of Citizens this time

I am one of the lucky ones who received an offer from another insurance company to move away from Citizens Property Insurance Corp.

The offer was $847 a year more than Citizens premium and provided less coverage. It was to be effective Oct. 17, 2023, but I still would have to finish paying for my current Citizens policy until February 2024.

A quick review of the insurance company showed a rating of "1" due to a failure to pay claims and poor service.

Although I was able to stay with Citizens this time, there will come a time when I’ll be forced to move to another company. If I receive an offer with premiums no more than 20% higher than Citizens’, I won't have a choice.

I may have to accept an offer from a subpar company that will gladly take my money and never provide the service should I need it.

I wonder if the insurance commission did any vetting of these companies that they authorized to take over Citizens policies, or if they just picked them with blinders on.

Linda Swarz, Sarasota

War results from teaching hate

What is happening today in Israel is the result of years and years of teaching hate.

This is why teaching about the Holocaust is so important for children. And it's why we shouldn't ban books that might upset children, like “Maus” and "The Diary of Anne Frank."

We have to teach that everyone is human with mothers and fathers and brothers and sisters.

How can we teach that if we don’t teach what people are capable of?

Let’s not set up a scenario where no one knows what evil looks like.

Linda Milberg, Sarasota

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Palestinians' call for a separate state should be acknowledged