Why is it, though, that television newscasts flood the screen with images of mourning Israelis when citizens are killed, but barely mention as an aside that a few Arabs were blown up by Israeli rockets in Lebanon? Why is it that when the Israeli army lobs shells onto villages in Lebanon it is in "retaliation" for Palestinian uprisings, but when Palestinians strike inside of Israel it is not in retaliation for dead Arab civilians and bulldozed homes? Why is it that when Israeli soldiers invade deep inside Lebanon, Prime Minister Netanyahu says his "soldiers" were killed by "terrorists?"

My family lives and has traveled extensively in Israel and Lebanon. We know first hand how Arabs are treated as sub-human scum in their own land. We know that it is virtual suicide to venture south from Beirut because one can never be sure where or when an Israeli shell will land. We know the incredible number of Israeli strikes into Lebanon that go unreported by the American press.

The Palestinian people were driven into Lebanon by historical politics which are too long past to rectify. The story of the Palestinians is at least as tragic as that of the Native Americans. Before we justify Israeli brutality by labeling it retaliation, we must look to the modern origins of the conflict and spread the blame equally to all concerned.

Elliot M. Namay, Jr.