Language and war …

THE EDITORIAL "Hopes and fantasies" (Aug. 22) repeats a common theme: let's put on Israel the lion's share of the blame for the recent Israel-Hezbollah war. "It's possible that the terrorist group Hezbollah was deliberately inviting a sharp Israeli response when it decided in mid-July to cross from Lebanon into Israel, ambush an Israeli patrol and kidnap two Israeli soldiers," the editorial suggests--as if this were simply a story about schoolyard bullies.

The truth is far more dangerous than that. This latest war was about far more than a few captured soldiers. It was not about the borders of 1967, over which reasonable people can choose to disagree (a popular pastime in Israel itself). It was about the borders of 1948. It was about Israel's very existence. It was about Hezbollah's stated desire to destroy Israel. Pardon us for not turning the other cheek.

Rabbi Jeffrey K. Salkin

The Temple

Atlanta

The editorial "Hopes and fantasies" describes Hezbollah as a "terrorist organization." There is certainly good reason for this identification given the tactics this group has used in its decades-long battle against the Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon. Its cavalier use of gratuitous violence against civilian targets must be condemned in the strongest possible terms. However, it should be acknowledged that the "terrorist" label is being used by some as an excuse for violence. I believe this kind of labeling helped fuel the devastating Israeli scorched-earth attack on southern Lebanon. In each case those who were perceived to be "terrorists" or in sympathy with "terrorists" were considered fair game for violent reprisals.

John Hubers

Chicago, Ill.

COPYRIGHT 2006 The Christian Century Foundation
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