His statement on National Public Radio that he is convinced no Israeli soldier would ever intentionally target Palestinian children, while asserting that Palestinians in general feel no qualms about routinely and unabashedly targeting Israeli children, shows that he has lost all objectivity.

Is he saying that an Israeli’s affiliation with the IDF somehow magically obviates their capacity for morally repugnant acts, or that Palestinians are just inherently morally inferior? Has he forgotten that Sharon’s history of terrorism and massacres is so blatant that many people in the world, including many in Israel, feel that he should be prosecuted as a war criminal?

While it is true that the acts of Palestinian suicide bombers are unquestionably evil, it is also true that many Israelis have routinely targeted innocent women and children. In this conflagration of occupation, retaliation and accusation, no ones hands are clean, and both sides should be held accountable for their atrocities.

Elliot M. Namay, Jr.

April, 2002