The wrong path
As a 72-year-old Jewish woman, I remember my joy as a child when Israel was created. I have always believed that Jews — of all people — must always support human rights and oppose every form of discrimination. We must never oppress others just because we were oppressed.
Yet Israel has gone down a path that is discriminatory, oppressive, and ultimately self-destructive in its policies of expanding settlements in the West Bank, creating housing for Jews only in east Jerusalem, and inflicting collective punishment on the people of Gaza. American Jews who believe in human rights should support Obama and Clinton’s demand that Israel freeze illegal settlements and stop evicting Palestinian families from their homes.
Only if Israel pulls back from its misguided policies can we hope for the two-state solution that Israel claims it wants.
Alicia Ostriker
Princeton
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