This is in response to letters from Cantor Deborah Katchko-Gray and Bert Boyson (April 18) critical of my op-ed (April 11).

The long-followed Zionist tactic of dragging in the Holocaust, anti-Semitism, “the eternal victim,” “never again,” terrorism, and lately Hamas, to deflect criticism of Israel or sidestep discussing the issues raised is no longer as effective as it once was.

“Anti-Semitic rant,” did you say Cantor? There is not a single word against Jews in my analysis. It is criticism of Israeli forces shooting and killing from across the border Palestinians demonstrating peacefully in their own land.

The Cantor writes “terrorists who were being paid.” The 30,000 people who gathered on the first day of the protest were “paid terrorists?”

Independent news sources have said that at no time the protestors posed any threat to the soldiers who shot them. There are videos showing unarmed protestors being shot and protestors being shot in the back while running way from the soldiers, protestors being shot while praying. There is even a video showing two soldiers making a game of shooting a young boy and emitting a victory cry when he falls dead!

As for “throwing Molotov cocktails, burning thousands of tires, and carrying guns,” the protestors were so far away that no Molotov cocktail thrown by any of them could have reached the Israeli soldiers. Tires were burned to create a smokescreen to prevent protestors being fired at by the Israeli forces. And, if you are faced with an array of well-armed soldiers in full battle gear with orders to “shoot to kill,” one should not begrudge a few of those being targeted carrying guns in self-defense.

Lastly, in this case, Israel is not a “country (being attacked) by terrorists.” These are people whose ancestors or themselves were forced out of their homes by Israel attempting to exercise their inalienable right to return to their homes.

As for Mr. Boyson’s letter, one need only add that the protest now being staged in Gaza is not the brainwave of Hamas. A private citizen of Gaza conceived it on social media and when it grew into a popular cry, Hams facilitated the logistics. No one is being dragged by the hair or forced at the point of a gun to join the protest.

Please read up on this question. You will find that Hamas, far from being determined to destroy Israel, has agreed to the existence of Israel on about 78 percent of Palestine, provided it withdraws completely from the remaining 22 percent, recognizes it as an independent and sovereign state of Palestine, and is willing to live in peace and friendship with it.

Gulamhusein A. Abba, a Danbury resident, is a retired journalist.