Readers Write: ‘Uncommitted’ votes, Israel/Gaza war, new state flag

Opinion editor’s note: Star Tribune Opinion publishes letters from readers online and in print each day. To contribute, click here.

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Those who voted “uncommitted” in yesterday’s primary should ask themselves if enabling a Donald Trump victory would be in the best interests of the Palestinian people (”Voting for a 2020 rematch,” front page, March 6).

In yesterday’s victory speech Trump expressed support for the hard-line Israeli government, remarking that it should “finish the problem.” Does this sound like a man interested in bringing peace to the region?

He has falsely stated that he saw thousands of Muslims cheering 9/11 attacks in New Jersey. In 2015 he advocated for a Muslim registry. In 2017 he signed Executive Order 13769, which effectively banned Muslims from entering the United States from January until it was overturned by the courts in March 2017.

Does this sound like a man to whom you should entrust the future of Palestinians?

Hamas is not a friend of the Palestinian people. On Oct. 7, Hamas murdered over 1,200 Israelis and raped many in an unprovoked attack. It knew how Israel would respond. While Hamas members hid in tunnels, innocent Palestinian people took the brunt of Israel’s barrage, resulting in thousands of casualties. A cease-fire would only help Hamas rearm and continue to endanger both Israelis and Palestinians. Hamas — a terrorist organization that has stated its commitment to the destruction of Israel — must be removed.

Sitting out this election or voting for Trump will not help the Palestinian people. You will be complicit in making a difficult situation far, far worse.

Jim Piga, Mendota Heights

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I voted “uncommitted” in the primary on Tuesday, joining nearly 20% of my fellow Democrats. I did so out of horror about the war in Gaza and the wholly inadequate response of the Biden administration to the starvation, displacement and killing of thousands of innocent Palestinians. Watching the U.S. block three United Nations cease-fire resolutions, hearing insufficient concern for the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and knowing that military aid continues to flow to Israel was just too much. I voted my conscience, feeling there was no other way to get the attention of the leaders of my party.

Moving to the general election, I will be supporting the Biden team and working hard to ensure that others do as well. I have tremendous respect for Biden in many areas, except his response to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war in Gaza.

Finally, I do not subscribe to the notion that Biden is too old for the job. He has shown himself to be an astute, capable and vigorous leader. The Democratic Party is investing in younger leadership at every level and the fruits of that investment are being realized. Biden does have to listen to younger, more diverse and more progressive constituents and understand that they, too, deserve a seat at the table. I am glad to be part of a party that allows for differences but will move forward together.

Pam Costain, Minneapolis

I am weary of all the complaints (letters to the editor and articles) about the war in Israel/Gaza and the demands that Americans are making that our president can tell Israel what to do and when to do it. We can be so arrogant, thinking we dominate all countries across the globe. We are no longer the sole superpower, we are just one of many. President Joe Biden has, from the beginning, repeatedly asked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to stop his all-out slaughter in Gaza. The citizens of Israel were trying to oust Netanyahu when Hamas invaded the country; you can find this fact by reading.

The lack of blame on Hamas, by those complaining and demanding, is disappointing. The Palestinian people allowed, encouraged and supported the creation of Hamas and its complete takeover of Gaza. They did this knowing that Hamas was a terrorist group of folks who wanted to eliminate all Jewish people. Why is this fact consistently missing in the current dialogue? Why are we not hearing complaints about the capture, torture and death of innocent Jewish people by Hamas on Oct. 7? Why has the dialogue become so one-sided, favoring a terrorist group that will never stop its fight until it has eliminated Jewish people? Hamas has never considered collateral damage (the killing of innocents) as a problem; you can find out all these facts by reading about their history.

Israel was created amid nations that disliked/hated Jewish people. It has managed to remain stable, against its surrounding enemies and other terrorist factions that have continuously threatened and bombed the country. When times have been complicated for America, Israel has stood right by our side, as have Britain and other countries. We must continue to stand by the nations who give us mutual respect and support. We must never side with murdering terrorists.

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If you wonder what the world did while over 6 million Jews were exterminated in World War II, it was exactly what we are doing now while Palestinians are being slaughtered. After the unspeakable horror of the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks, the Israelis have killed over 30,000 (mostly women and children), destroyed 80% of all Gaza housing, and are starving and bombing the survivors.

Beyond these grim facts is the deeper loss of the ancient Jewish tradition of justice, the dishonoring of those who died in Hitler’s Holocaust, and a rise in antisemitic and Islamophobic hate crimes. The brutal Hamas attack is apparently working as intended, as Israel’s inhumanity in responding focuses the world’s attention on Israel’s long-ignored suppression and ethnic cleansing of Palestine. Israel is becoming a pariah state.

Maybe you don’t care because they are far away, or the news is too depressing to watch. But then you are blind to the danger this conflict risks in our own backyard. There have already been cross-border attacks by Israel (against targets in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza), by Hamas (against Israel), by the U.S. (against Yemen, Syria and Iraq), and by Britain (against Yemen). Some of these countries are nuclear-armed. How long will it take until other countries become directly involved? A permanent cease-fire is needed for the protection of civilians on both sides, but it is also needed for our own safety, so we are not drawn into a larger war.

Charles Underwood, Minneapolis