Reader’s Letter to the Los Angeles Times

To the Letter Editor                                                                                                                          

Sub.: 500 rocket victims in the US?                                   27 September 2007    

Sir, - Re: "Want electricity? Stop the rockets" (Benny Morris, Sep. 22): It is commendable that you inform that Israel's intention to define Gaza Strip as "hostile territory" and the electricity limitation threat are not intended to hurt Gaza inhabitants but to stop Hamas inspired daily Palestinian rocket attacks against Israeli civilians.

But the article's tone about the Israeli victims  - "relatively few casualties...  more than 1,000 (rockets) have been fired, killing about a dozen Israelis and seriously injuring several dozen" - is unforgivably indifferent. Since when are human casualties counted by the dozen?  And "relatively few"?! Relatively to the populations of the two countries it would mean 500 rocket victims killed and a few thousands injured in the US by a neighboring Gaza.

Then you describe Israeli military means which "proved unable to stop the rocketeers" and the "condemnation(s) by human rights groups and Western politicians and media".  No justification of Israel's counter-actions is quoted in the article.

What counter-action by the US would you justify against a, fortunately imaginary, neighbor which killed 500 Americans?

Endre MOZES
Chairman, Take-A-Pen
Haifa, Isreal