Conflict over Israel-Lebanon war

Re “Death still stalks Lebanon,� Opinion, Oct. 21

Saree Makdisi uses an impressive array of statistics to question Israel’s launching of its campaign against Lebanon. Makdisi omits that Hezbollah invaded sovereign Israeli territory and kidnapped two Israeli soldiers while firing missiles at Israeli towns. Most important, Hezbollah fired 3,900 rockets laced with ball bearings and, as belatedly reported by Human Rights Watch, used cluster bombs on Israel.

Lebanese civilians became victims because Hezbollah placed portable rocket launchers in residential areas, and mosques schools and hospitals were built over its bunkers. Such deliberate use of civilians as shields is a war crime. Finally, “the population’s support of the guerrillas� puts into question whether they are “civilians.�

AGGIE R. HOFFMAN

Los Angeles

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Makdisi gets everything right. The most important thing he tells us is that Americans are unwittingly paying for the murder of innocent civilians in Lebanon and that the murders will continue for years.

Iraq is not the only venue for senseless death. The Lebanon murders would never have occurred if the United States were not supporting Israel to the tune of $3 billion a year. Where is the peace those dollars are supposed to be buying for the United States?

JERROLD COHEN

Seal Beach

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Perhaps I missed something: Didn’t Hezbollah kidnap two Israeli soldiers and fire thousands of rockets into Haifa, killing civilians? Didn’t Israel have a right and obligation to protect its citizens by responding to an act of war by Hezbollah? As I stated earlier, perhaps I missed something.

VICTOR JACOBOVITZ

Los Angeles

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I’m looking forward to Makdisi’s upcoming article on Hezbollah’s war on Israel and the effect of the Katyusha rockets and cluster bomb attacks on northern Israel. Such an article may be helpful in attempting to influence the suppliers of such weapons. No such article being written? I’m shocked, just shocked.

JERRY SCHARLIN

Encino

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The news that there are U.S.-made, unexploded cluster bombs in southern Lebanon made for very sad reading. However, this surely presents an opportunity to change course in the Middle East. Let’s move some bomb disposal troops from Iraq into Lebanon to clean up yet another mess brought about by U.S. policies.

ANDREW SHADDOCK

Manhattan Beach