Letters to the Editor

To the Editor: Ferris Nazeri compares Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to Adolf Hitler ("The real past of Mr. Sharon," The Daily Pennsylvanian, 3/30/01). Such a comparison is absurd. By asserting that Sharon is "Hitler-like," Nazeri is either illustrating his ignorance or purposefully misrepresenting facts. Nazeri asserts that Sharon was responsible for Israel's "brutal attack" on Lebanon in 1982, "which went on for weeks despite little resistance," and that Sharon was responsible for the massacres in Sabra and Shatila. Both assertions are inaccurate. Sharon was the Israeli minister of defense during the Lebanese War, yet Israel entered Lebanon after months of daily attacks from Lebanon into Israel -- certainly a legitimate cassius belli. In Lebanon, Israel fought the Syrian military, the military of the de facto Palestinian state that existed in Lebanon and other battling factions of the Lebanese Civil War. The war lasted for years and cost thousands of Israeli lives. Nazeri's characterization of this campaign is simply wrong. The massacres at Sabra and Shatila were committed on September 16, 1982 by Maronite Arabs-Phalangists, a battling faction of the Lebanese Civil War. The Phalangists notified Israel that they planned to enter the camps to take out the military targets responsible for the murder of the Christian Lebanese President-elect. The massacre was not committed by Israeli troops; Israeli troops were not present there; and Sharon did not command those responsible for it and had no prior knowledge of the massacre. At worst, Sharon was indirectly responsible for not ordering his troops into harm's way to stop a massacre being carried out by others. The Kahan Commission -- that Nazeri incorrectly cites -- found Sharon indirectly responsible, only for his inaction. Similarly, an American jury found that Sharon had no prior knowledge of the massacre in a libel suit stemming from this incident. Perhaps we should morally condemn Sharon's decision not to send in troops. The U.S. often faces a similar question as to whether to risk the lives of Americans to prevent atrocities abroad. But a decision to not intervene does not make that decision-maker even nearly comparable to Hitler, the mastermind and executor of genocide. To call Sharon "Hitler-like" is a disgrace to the memories of millions of innocent people who were murdered by the Nazis. The real irony is that Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat made a career of killing civilians for 30 years. Today, Arafat shares the same Nobel Peace Prize as Martin Luther King and Mahatma Ghandi, yet his support for terrorism has not decreased.

Imri Eisner College and Wharton '01

To the Editor: I am writing to voice my surprise and disappointment with the DP's choice to include "The real past of Mr. Sharon" in Friday's issue. While I commend the DP's commitment to open dialogue, it is nevertheless inappropriate and insensitive to publish a piece equating Joerg Haider and Ariel Sharon with Adolf Hitler. As reprehensible as one may find Haider's past statements or Sharon's past inaction, it is shameful to compare these individuals with a man responsible for the systematic persecution and annihilation of millions. If anything has been learned from the Middle East, it is that there will be no progress as long as distortion and demonization prevails.

Brett Taxin College '01

To the Editor: Ferris Nazeri's column that portrays Ariel Sharon as a "war criminal" and "Hitler-like character" ignores crucial facts. The column discusses the invasion of Lebanon that took many lives. Yasser Arafat's terrorist raids and rocket attacks on Israeli towns necessitated the invasion. Unlike Sharon's negligence that allowed -- but did not support -- the massacre of Palestinians in refugee camps, Arafat ordered rocket attacks on innocent civilians. Arafat's unapologetic orders seem much more "Hitler-like" than Sharon's admitted mistake. In the current conflict, Sharon has shown a great deal of restraint. After a Palestinian sniper murdered a ten-month-old infant, Sharon restrained from retaliations. After two more terrorist bombings of civilians, Sharon did nothing. Finally, after a third bombing in two days, Sharon retaliated by destroying terrorist headquarters after sending warning to prevent civilian casualties. These are not the actions of a war criminal, but of a pragmatic leader. Meanwhile, Arafat refuses to condemn any violence against Israel. To remain silent after the bombing of innocent civilians is shameful. But to remain silent after the murder of a ten-month-old baby is appalling. Sharon and the Israelis have shown they are willing to work in cooperation with the Arabs, but slanderous columns such as this only impede the progression toward peace.

David Finkler College '03

To the Editor: I would like to congratulate the DP for finally printing a column on the war crimes of Ariel Sharon -- an oft-disregarded issue in the United States Precisely because the ignoble history of Sharon is not well known, I was pleased to see it given address in Friday's paper. I would also like to thank Ferris Nazeri for his excellent piece, reminding us that such crimes against humanity, wherever they may be committed, should be neither forgotten nor forgiven.

Gavin Walker College '01

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