Re: “Letter to the Editor: Gaza Remembrance Week” (26.1.10)

Jamal Daoud rightly notes that the one year anniversary of the Israeli operation in Gaza has passed. I would like to see McGill remember this anniversary by remembering the purpose of this operation: to eliminate the terrorist threat stemming from within Israel’s borders. The Canadian government supported Israel during this campaign and supported her decision to protect its citizens, something Hamas refuses to do. After years of countless rocket attacks, after pulling out of Gaza in 2005, Israel refused to be taken advantage of. Perhaps Hamas refuses to take care of its citizens, and therefore refuses to distribute the resources Israel gives to the population in Gaza.

It’s very easy to see this situation in black and white. It’s much more difficult to understand the complexity of this protracted conflict in the Middle East. We cannot blindly state one side is correct or not. However, we can ask ourselves what we would have expected our governments to do, had we been subject to attack day after day. We can try and learn from the situation, rather than attempting to judge such a complex matter.

– Vicky TobianahU3 Political Science and English Literature