CAMERA Letter-to-the Editor Printed in Daily Herald

JULY 11, 2003

Hanania’s column contains errors

Ray Hanania’s July 4 column contained several serious errors.

The fence being built between Israel and the West Bank to protect Israelis from terrorists has nothing to do with Gaza and nothing to do with the death of Rachel Corrie.

Such an enormous error shows severe ignorance on the part of the columnist and should be a warning that he is not knowledgeable enough about the topic to offer an informed or reliable opinion on it.

Nor were soldiers and settlers shooting at Rachel Corrie. No one but Ray Hanania has ever made that claim.

And the bulldozer ran Corrie over because the driver thought that she had jumped out of the way. That’s the routine with members of the International Solidarity Movement. They stand in front of the bulldozer, the bulldozer moves a bit and then they jump out of the way at the last minute.

Instead of jumping away, Rachel fell backward, over a pile of dirt, out of sight and, tragically, the driver ran her over.

While she was a well-meaning girl, Rachel Corrie was blinded by Palestinian propaganda and, as her letters show, refused to even consider that Israelis have any legitimate rights or security concerns.

The Israelis bulldoze to explode mines or to tear down structures being used as cover for weapons-smuggling tunnels or snipers. Standing in the way of these projects means standing in the way of counterterror operations.

Where was her compassion, and Hanania’s, for the thousands of Israelis whose lives have been lost or shattered by Palestinian terrorist bombs?

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