Letters to the Editor Slam Israel, Relationship with U.S.

"Letters: Dark Days for Israel and Gaza"
A24 (Letters to the Editor), Tuesday 1/6/09

In 7 letters to the editor on the Times Israel coverage, the paper once again serves as a platform for unjustified, and simply unintelligent, criticism of Israel and its alliance with the United States. Out of the seven letters, four are negative in tone, two positive, and one neutral.

Here are some of the unjustified critiques laid out against Israel:

• The Israel and American as wholly accountable for Palestinian suffering (no Palestinian accountability)
• Israel has used disproportionate force in its military operations
• 'Tough love' - as a 'good friend,' the U.S. needs place pressure on Israel to obey its will
• Israel's military operation is the moral equivalent of Hamas' indiscriminate rocket fire on Israeli civilian centers ("Clearly, Israel’s policies fit hand in glove with those of Hamas.")
• Military action can never lead to any sort of solution
• U.S. support of Israel is a key cause of Islamic extremism ("It [U.S. support for Israel] will increase support for the extremists and weaken and stifle moderates.")

During this ongoing conflict, the Times has systematically provided greater voice to the opponents of Israel's action in its letters to the editor section, even if these arguments are weak and unfairly vilify Israel.