‘A wonderful peaceful life’

I was appalled to read your June 26 coverage of the “radical settlers.” My son and his family live in Yesha. They are not like that. We have many friends who have chosen to help settle greater Israel, land promised to our forefathers and reclaimed by Israel in a war thrust upon them by countries bent on destroying any semblance of a Jewish state. The inhabitants of Yesha are peace-loving citizens of Israel, willing to live side-by-side with anyone who is a good neighbor. You blew up a fringe group as if it were widespread. Why don’t you give the other side of the story? Go visit these communities and see for yourself what a wonderful peaceful life they are building for their families.

The fringe extremism of Yesha youth has its roots in frustration and self-defense, wanting to maintain our Holy Land, which dates back to our patriarch Abraham. They want to avoid another Gush Katif. The Israeli government expelled citizens from Gush Katif about three years ago, with sometimes rough treatment by the Israeli army. What have we Jews gained? Only more terror, and within the 1967 borders, with rockets thrown at Sderot and Askelon. The Palestinians are not ready for self-rule and have not abided by any agreements. All they teach their children is hatred and violence towards Israel.

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