William Sterr’s letter (“Open eyes to carnage in Middle East,” Our Readers’ Views, Jan. 18) overlooks some basic facts.
After the U.N. divided up Palestine between a small Israel and a larger Arab state (the original two-state solution), the Israelis accepted it and the Arab states rejected it. The armies of Egypt, Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the Arab militias in Palestine all attacked. By a miracle, Israel survived with slightly larger boundaries. And so it has gone on. Through 1967, 1973 and 2005, when Israel left Gaza so it could grow in peace. Hamas took over and used it as a base to attack Israel again and again. Israel had to close and control the border to try to protect itself.
Peace is easy. Stop attacking Israel and let everyone build their societies in peace.
