The great college protest of today is against the only democracy in the Middle East. Israel is also the only non-apartheid country in the Middle East. Don’t believe me? As a Christian or a Jew, try living in one of the Muslim countries as an equal citizen. When Israel was founded in 1948, it had 700,000 Arab citizens, but due to the awful genocide, there are now approximately 2,200,000 Arab Israelis. They are full citizens. Students are yelling slogans, displaying signs to stop the Israeli genocide in Gaza. And yet, it is Israel that has phoned ahead, dropped leaflets, warned whole neighborhoods that they were targeted, because Hamas was using them to launch attacks. In the early days, Hamas tried to block citizens from evacuating.

When asked about civilian casualties in Gaza, Hamas leadership said, “the more the better.” Is 10,000 too many? The answer, “100,000 would be better”! Why hasn’t Hamas used its billions to build bomb shelters for civilians? “That’s the UN’s job.” Hamas wants to produce as many civilian casualties as possible. Hamas fighters, rockets, guns, ammunition, tunnel entrances are purposely located in mosques, schools, hospitals and residential buildings. On May 6, Hamas rocketed the Kerem Shalom border crossing where Israel was sending aid to Gaza. Four Israelis were killed. Israel had to close the crossing. The current conflict started with Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre. Their object was to kill as many Israeli civilians as possible and take prisoners, mainly civilians. And, Hamas has promised it would mount such attacks again and again. The Gaza war is nowhere as simple and one-sided as anti-Israeli slogans insist.

Michael Frandzel

Portsmouth