Readers Write: Nov. 29

Israel to blame for no Palestinian state

A recent letter-writer blames Arab intransigence as the reason Palestinians don’t have a state (“Why Palestinians don’t have a state,” Readers Write, Nov.19).

Almost every day, Jewish settlers are attacking Palestinians, either vandalizing their property, uprooting their olive trees and, most recently, killing two Palestinian children. In addition, the Israeli government continues to confiscate Palestinian land, building thousands of illegal Jewish settlements while forcing Palestinian families out of their homes. According to Amnesty International, Israel has demolished over 48,000 Palestinian homes since 1967 when Israel attacked its neighbors, causing thousands of Palestinian refugees.

In the past decade, Israel has launched three major campaigns against Gaza, killing over 3,000 civilians and nearly wiping the area off the map. To this day, the Israeli government continues to maintain a blockade on Gaza with control over land, air, and water, creating the largest prison on earth, all while the U.S. turns a blind eye.

This is why there is no Palestinian state. Until the U.S. gets tough with Israel, there will never be a Palestinian state, nor will there ever be peace in the Middle East.

JAMES J. DAVID, MARIETTA

Republican tax plan undermines our nation

In Bruce Springsteen’s words “There’s a train comin’ down the tracks,” and it’s called the Republican tax plan. It’s going to undermine our society and our books will never be in the black. OK, maybe Bruce could say it better than I, but look for huge deficits and then comes the call to cut the social programs we can’t “afford.” But we can afford these windfalls for the wealthy “job creators.”

BOB LOWTHER, DALLAS