More on the Mideast

This is in response to John Schluter's letter in the March 17 issue, which discusses the propaganda trips to Israel for Bay Area politicians. I would offer the following observations:
Israelis and Palestinians are not on equal footing. As occupiers, the Israelis have responsibilities. As the occupied, the Palestinians have rights. One of these rights is the right to fight against the Israeli occupation.
Suicide bombing and the killing of civilians is a horrible indication of the degree to which terror and humiliation has dehumanized Palestinians. Suicide bombing is new and novel to Islam, in over 1,400 years of tradition. The question to ask is: what is wrong with Zionism and Israel, that it is spawning such a horrible form of violence?
Being Jewish and Israeli is not synonymous. Criticizing Israel is not anti-Semitism. We must not allow Zionists to take protection behind Jews, to protect themselves from criticism. Organizations such as "Jews Against Zionism" point out the real unreported battle is that between Judiasm and Zionism.
We must defend the proper use of language. Israel is not a democracy. In a democracy people are born equal, whereas in Israel non-Jews are born with inferior rights. This is the democracy of South Africa under the racist Afrikaners. This is not what we call democracy in the U.S. Distorting language is among the first things propagandists do.
John Schluter is welcome to go to World Pride in Israel. He will not see me there. As a Muslim American, I know I am not welcome. I urge others to stay home, and vote with their absence.