LEYDEN, MASS.-F. Miess of Southern Vermont for Palestine advocates for a boycott of an Israel-produced software product. Apparently, it is in vogue now to cancel anyone, or anything, Jewish or Israeli. Recently, even the Jewish musician, Matisyahu, who sings about peace, had three U.S. concerts cancelled.
If Mr. Miess truly wants to boycott Israel he will also need to stop using his cell phone, forego many lifesaving technologies, and refrain from any produce grown with drip irrigation.
Mr. Miess has researched every member of the Eleos Health team and reports that the entire staff has served in the Israel Defense Forces. In fact, the reason that Elios staff have all been IDF soldiers is that every citizen of Israel is conscripted into the army, (except Arabs, although many choose to serve).
After Oct. 7, 2023, thousands of Israelis living abroad immediately left everything to volunteer to fight and die for their people. Contrast this with their enemies, who hide behind their women and children, inviting civilian deaths by firing rockets from residences, hospitals, and schools, then blame the tragedy on Israel.
According to West Point urban warfare expert John Spencer, the Hamas tunnel network was massive enough to shelter every civilian in Gaza, yet only Hamas fighters were allowed entry.
Mr. Meiss describes Israel's brilliant intelligence operation that decapitated Hezbollah's top terrorists as "indiscriminate blowing up of electronic devices." The operation was extremely humane, targeting only terrorists in limited explosions. One could not devise a more precise war strike.
This boycott of an Israeli company has nothing to do with the health of Vermont patients. Mr. Meiss opposes this software because, he says, Israel wants to annihilate the Palestinians.
But he has it backwards. Gazans cheered the gang rape, torture, and burning alive of Israelis. They extoll murder, and teach hate in their schools. Hamas advocates total destruction of Israel.
He says: "Contrary to the claim that Israel is a democracy, it is far more like "Sparta than Athens." He is right here. Unfortunately, Israel is in a war of survival on seven fronts. It has been forced to be a Sparta, although it would love to be an Athens. Indeed, from 1830 to 1948, repeated massacres aimed to expel the Jews from Palestine, dissuade European refugees from seeking sanctuary there, and thwart the establishment of a Jewish homeland through extreme violence.
In 1947, when the United Nations proposed partitioning the area into two states, one Arab and the other Jewish, five Arab armies attacked the fledgling Jewish state. In every subsequent war, Israel has defended itself from attacks by its neighbors. In 2005, Israel left Gaza with hopes for peace. Hamas immediately dug up water pipes to make them into rockets.
If Southern Vermont For Palestine were interested in helping Palestinians, they would speak out against Hamas for their intentional and brutal exploitation of the Gazan people, robbing them of billions of dollars of aid money meant to improve their quality of life, building a giant war machine underneath their people, and using them as martyrs in their singleminded goal to conquer Israel.
Rhonda Wainshilbaum
Leyden, Mass.
This letter to the editor was submitted to The Commons.
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