The article by Jeffrey Spooner [“Israel’s wrongful treatment of Palestine,” Jan. 13] fails to accept one basic fact. Israel is a state at war. It is not merely in a state of war, but it is a state at war. As such it will take action to guarantee its security, this is simply the way the international system works.
Furthermore, in fighting Hamas, Hezbollah and the other diverse bands of terrorists, Israel is fighting the same enemy that Canada is currently fighting — radical extremism. To this end Canada should place its undivided support behind all legitimate defensive measures taken by Israel, a sovereign state. This is not to state that everything Israel does should be considered moral, but rather that Israel should be held to the same light as every other state which faces a grave and ever present threat of annihilation. The examples of grave injustice cited by Mr. Spooner are laughable, such as Israel launching rockets. Who would have thought that in war a state would take the drastic step of attempting to hurt the enemy?
Let Israel not be a modern version of Czechoslovakia in 1938. Let history be our guide on the best manner to combat extremism.