Israeli Demolition of Palestinian Homes

I almost never like Michael Ramirez’s political cartoons, but I always read them -- at least I can get the little adrenaline charge that I get from reading most neocon blather. But Ramirez’s May 27 cartoon (Commentary), in which a Palestinian family wearing “Kill Jews” T-shirts are standing in the rubble of their home saying “Why?” looks to be intended to stir up racism and to justify further violence.

Though Israelis have a legitimate concern for security, they cannot claim that the majority of people they are casting into homeless misery are guilty of anything. If you have to keep Ramirez around, get him back to his job of bashing liberals, instead of spewing hatred.

Tom Pliska

Long Beach

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Ramirez’s cartoon showing Palestinians wondering why Israeli bulldozers leveled their home is almost a counterpoint to his May 20 cartoon showing an Israeli tank blasting a rock-throwing Palestinian. The Palestinian-Israeli conflict is not over national boundaries, resettling refugees or reprisals: It is the Arab world’s long-term goal to rid the Mideast of Jews -- and the state of Israel.

Sol Taylor

Sherman Oaks

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Any fair person knows that Palestinians hate Israel because it occupies their land, uproots their trees, demolishes their homes and detains, kills and maims thousands of innocent Palestinians. Last that I checked, it was Israelis who had tanks and soldiers in Palestinian towns and villages. It was Israelis who built illegal settlements on Palestinian land.

To sum it up for Mr. Ramirez: Occupation results in resistance. Brutal occupation results in brutal resistance. If Israelis are not happy with the resistance, then maybe Ramirez can advise them to end their racist and brutal occupation.

Sabiha F. Khan

Anaheim