I read with great concern your (March 22) article regarding the Democratic Socialists of America efforts to describe Palestinians as victims of Israel’s alleged apartheid policies. Israel has been the ancestral homeland of the Jewish people for 4,000 years despite numerous attempts during that time to destroy Israel.

Following World War II, the United Nations Security Council unanimously voted for the creating of the modern state of Israel, yet the following day Israel was attacked by all its Arab neighbors. Without reviewing the many wars that Israel had to defend against since the inception of the State of Israel, Palestinians have steadfastly kept the warfare alive by demanding the eradication of the State of Israel as well as refusing a “two state solution.”

Last year’s Oct. 7, murderous terrorist Hamas attack occurred despite the fact that Gaza has been a de facto Palestinian State of 11 years. Despite that fact, instead of building Palestine’s infrastructure, economy and schools, Hamas has turned Gaza into an armed camp complete with hundreds of miles of tunnels to hide weapons, ammunition and rockets frequently under schools and hospitals to carry on the eternal antisemitic war against Israel to wipe it off the map just as Hamas’s theocratic fascists masters in Iran demand.

If you are going to publish articles portraying the so-called innocent Palestinians as victims, why not publish the truth about what is really happening? The Palestinians freely voted for the murdering Hamas terrorists to be their government. Israel must eradicate Hamas if Israel is to survive. Israel must eradicate Hamas to give the Palestinians the chance to elect much better leadership if they are to develop a safe, secure nation that supports its citizens as opposed to the anti-Semitic thugs in Iran. Demanding a cease fire insures Hamas will survive to continue terrorizing Israel.

Dr. Ray Havlicek

Lake Placid