SANTA FE, N.M.-The noted journalist Thomas L. Friedman once observed that "when it comes to discussing the Middle East, people go temporarily insane."
That quote came to mind after reading the volcanic reactions to Tim Wessel's essay about the politics of local protests [Voices, March 20], which I didn't read but got the drift of.
I guess so-called Progressives in Windham County respect opposing viewpoints as much as the MAGA crowd, meaning not at all. In condemning Wessel, his detractors commit the same misdeeds they accuse him of, namely making up "facts" while ignoring others.
Edward C. Morris wrote in response to Wessel's article that "there is no evidence that Hamas is responsible for massive numbers of civilian deaths. [...] Mostly, they destroyed legitimate military targets and some armed civilians who were former military."
Actually, Hamas murdered 1,200 unarmed civilians, most of whom were members of Israel's peace movement, and their massacre has been verified by enough independent sources to be considered legitimate.
In his response to Wessel's article, Dan DeWalt writes that "Starting in 1931, Zionist militias and later the Israeli Defense Forces planned and conducted massacres in Palestinian towns and villages."
Strange - when I googled this, I found no corroborating evidence about 1931, especially since all the articles pointed to the 1929 Hebron massacre in which Palestinians murdered more than sixty Jews.
During the 1948 war, both sides were guilty of massacres - the Deir Yassin massacre, in which more than 100 Palestinians were killed, was answered by the Hadassah convoy massacre, in which 79 Jewish doctors and nurses were burned alive.
These letters point to a trend whereby all accounts of atrocities committed by Palestinians and their Arab enablers are seen as fake, whereas all atrocities committed by Israelis are seen as true. How convenient.
Sorry, folks, but this is a Donald Trump mentality.
The Israelis are keenly aware that nobody cares when Jews are being slaughtered, an indictment verified by the citizens of southern Vermont, where few, if any, marched to protest the October 7 attack.
This explains why Israel turns a blind eye to world opinion and the hypocrisy of South Africa, which ignores genocide occurring on its own continent.
The history of Israel and Palestine is long and complex, and contains enough blame for all parties involved. For educated liberals to exhibit deliberate ignorance in favor of one side is a disservice to all who want a deeper understanding of this mutual tragedy.
Daniel Brown
Santa Fe, N.M.
This letter to the editor was submitted to The Commons.
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