July 8, 2006
By Margaret Lamb

To the editor, Re Michael Paulson's story on the protests outside the Israeli consulate Wednesday, thanks much for covering this.

However, I have a concern — and it's across-the-board regarding the reporting of protests “against Israel.”

Those protesting “Israel” are protesting Israel's government — the officials who won't negotiate, who order Palestinian border taxes withheld instead of being returned to Palestine, who order the bombing of central Gaza power plants, who order Israeli pilots to buzz Palestinian communities and emit sonic booms, who refuse to negotiate, more.

In Israel, there is a significant segment of the population who also object to such illegal, immoral, unhumanitarian tactics — just as the international community objects, and accuses “Israel” of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Sadly, the Israeli government IS Israel for many purposes, including legal ones. Just as the Bush administration IS the United States (and is approved of by only 30-some percent of the US population).

All this is to say that most of those protesting “against Israel” Wednesday love Israel and think it's been hijacked by the current administration there. I sure do.

Margaret Lamb
Dorchester