This letter is a response to the column "Perception of Israel unfair" that ran on Feb. 3.
Have you waded through waste and litter along the separation barrier in East Jerusalem? The mistreatment of Palestinians is far more than a perception: It is a reality I had the opportunity to witness first-hand.
With that being said, Zionism is a movement, not an entity. The Christian and Arab-Israelis would beg to differ that they are members of a Zionist nation, since Zionism is an essence that lives within you. Ask anyone who lives in Israel about their history, whether they are immigrants or natives, and you will quickly realize that it is a fallacy to relegate the history of Israel and its peoples to a single narrative.
Words such as “alleged displacement” are misguided but are even more so when compared to black imprisonment in the United States. One cannot deny the existence of not only Israeli settlements but the obvious loss of Palestinian land to the Israeli government and number of refugees that fled into the Jordan and Lebanon as a result of force.
The column, "Perception of Israel unfair," is a despondent narrative that fails to give credit to the Jewish people and a history much richer and more complex than the 68 years noted allows for explaining. The writer is disconnected from the narratives of not only Jews but the Arab and Christian populations that regrettably go unmentioned as natives of the land of Palestine, starting from biblical times to present day.
Stifling the Jewish population to mere victims of the situation is as disheartening as is the apparent claim that Palestinian action is akin to HAMAS.
What about modern efforts within, encouraging Palestinian-Israeli acceptance and growth?
There is violence and radicalization on the Palestinian side, and there is destruction and a discrimination on the Israeli side. There is also a lot of growth and much beauty. Before you write, I encourage you to go see the situation for yourself.
Editor's note: The name of the author has been redacted due to a request of international privacy.