Janet Simmon: Israel was not desert in 1948; much was already there

To The Daily Sun,

I fail to understand where Sheila Kufert gets her ideas. I would like to show her pictures of the remains of Palestinian homes covered up with pine trees planted by the Jewish National Fund which are now burning because pine trees are not compatible with the environment. One can’t fool people by repeating the same mis-information.

If the land was uninhabited desert in 1948, where did those 700,000 people who were expelled live? How did those large, elegant homes get built? Has she seen the gorgeous tiles, lovely carvings and mosaics in homes of the 1800s?

While I was there I was in a church built in 1892, and another in 1149. There are hundreds of churches still standing in what is now called Israel. This was hardly an empty desert.

Ms Kufert does not need to defend Israel. No one has advocated for the demise of Israel. The current government has, however, almost completely destroyed villages and cities and killed 50,000 people with an unknown number under the rubble. This destruction was done with our tax dollars; $49 million every day.

The use of 2,000 pound bombs made in the U.S. commits entire blocks of buildings to wasteland, leaves giant pits and throws a massive amount of toxic waste into the air. Body parts are thrown into the air. The horror is unspeakable. It is calculated slaughter of civilians, mostly children.

I have faith that Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, who had the courage to vote for past Joint Resolutions of Disapproval (JRD), will co-sponsor the current JRDs to stop the sale of those horrendous bombs. Bombing refugees in tents is collective punishment. It’s not in the best interest of the United States. It does not make us safer or lead to the release of hostages.

Janet Simmon

Laconia