Marda Dunsky wastes no time in perverting the recent national tragedy into an opportunity to vilify America’s relationship with Israel (“U.S. must rethink roots of Mideast trouble,” Perspective, Sept. 23).
Conveniently placing blame on Israel and the United Sates for last year’s Camp David summit failure and the ongoing intifada, Dunsky omits any mention of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat’s accountability or responsibility to his own people.
Perhaps part of the anger and frustration felt by the inhabitants of the Palestinian Authority, Saudi Arabia and Iraq is misguided toward Israel and America out of fear and disappointment that their leaders have not made good on promises for a better life.
Dunsky implies that America’s foreign policy is to blame for the violence.
We have heard similar remarks from radical voices in the Arab world.
Surely Dunsky does not expect the American government to strategize over the security of its citizens and investments according to the whims of Islamic radical entities.
Dunsky’s analysis is simplistic at best. Not only does she overlook the fact that militants like Osama bin Laden loathe America’s ideals of freedom and democracy, but they are committed to a jihad against the U.S. It must be stated for the record that, regardless of America’s relationship with Israel, these militant factions would still hate us.
Only time will tell if Dunsky and the many others who criticize Israel’s handling of terrorism will speak out against our government as the United States swiftly and publicly prepares for our war on terrorism. Unfortunately America is being faced with the agonizing dilemma that Israel has confronted for years.
Perhaps Dunsky should re-evaluate the true root of the attacks that took the lives of thousands of innocent men, women and children from dozens of nations. American foreign policy is not a popularity contest. Islamic fundamentalism is a cauldron of hate and envy that cannot be allowed to dictate America’s future.
