Jewish Dissenters Speak Out Against Lebanon War

The following is a "Letter to the Editor" I sent to the San Jose Mercury News today:

I thank you for printing the Op-Ed by Henri Picciotto (It's time for Jewish dissenters to challenge Israeli policies, 8/11/06). While I may not agree with every point made by Mr. Picciotto, it is important that Jews and non-Jews alike realize that one can question Israeli policy without being anti-Israel, or anti-Semitic, and that not all Jews (or Israelis) are supporters of the war machine.

Just as my disapproval of the Iraq war doesn't diminish my love of this country, my disapproval of the Lebanon war doesn't mean I no longer support the right of Israel to exist. It is precisely because I care for the long-term survival of Israel as a Jewish homeland that I protest actions that will virtually guarantee another generation of terrorists. I see no contradiction in considering myself an anti-war Zionist.

While it is a fact that some of the current backlash against Israel is being led by those who have never been friends of the Jewish people, and who wish us ill, there is also a strong and growing voice against the war that comes from a place of love for Israel.

I think most Mercury News readers are intelligent enough to sort out which writers are simply anti-war and which are anti-Semitic, and I thank you for printing dissenting opinions.

Tags: Mercury News, letters to the editor, Israel, war, protest, Jewish, dissenters, Zionists, anti-Semitism