The Washington PostDemocracy Dies in Darkness

Opinion The suffering of the Palestinians

February 16, 2024 at 3:26 p.m. EST
Displaced Palestinians on Feb. 13 near the border separating the Gaza Strip and Egypt in the Rafah refugee camp. (Loay Ayyoub for The Washington Post)

Regarding the Feb. 11 front-page article “Liberal billionaire now a leader in anti-DEI crusade”:

If Bill Ackman is the equal-opportunity criticizer he claims to be, he should have something to say about the collective punishment Israel has inflicted on Gaza that, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, has resulted in the deaths of nearly 30,000 Gazans, many of whom are children and women. This and the apocalyptic destruction of Gaza, not antisemitism, are fueling the protests by young people across this nation’s campuses and the criticism of Israel. Conflating criticism of Israel’s conduct of the war with antisemitism is a convenient canard.

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Mr. Ackman’s crusade against diversity, equity and inclusion and his belief that it is the root cause of antisemitism reveal a stunning ignorance of American history and indifference to the suffering and deprivations of Black Americans, beginning with centuries of enslavement followed by a century of segregation, lynching and state-sanctioned inequality. Forcing the removal of Claudine Gay as president of Harvard University might be a trophy for Mr. Ackman, but it will do nothing to change the facts about the need for the nation to address and remedy the continuing problem of racial discrimination and inequality, or the growing calls by millions of young people of all colors and religions on college campuses for racial justice.

The article included descriptions of Mr. Ackman as a “very principled person” and someone who hates to see “people get screwed.” If this is so, Mr. Ackman should have much more to say about the collective punishment Israel is inflicting on civilians in Gaza. And if Mr. Ackman wants to strike a mortal blow against antisemitism, he should put his principles and considerable business talents and wealth to work rebuilding Gaza and the lives of the displaced Gazans. That would be a lasting legacy.

Rob Hornstein, Arlington

Apparently, President Biden is increasingly frustrated by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s intention to pursue the war in Gaza until Hamas militants are defeated, despite the damage and death that the war is causing to Palestinian civilians and infrastructure [“Biden closer to a breach,” front page, Feb. 12].

Mr. Netanyahu’s position is not so unreasonable when you consider that Hamas’s stated goal is the elimination of Israel and that this is one of many conflicts Hamas has initiated with Israel. The Israeli military has already made substantial progress in disabling Hamas forces in Gaza City and Khan Younis. Militants and Hamas leaders in Rafah remain to be neutralized.

Rather than leaning on Israel to curb its efforts, other approaches are possible. The United States has communication channels to Hamas via Qatar. These channels can be used to urge Hamas to unconditionally surrender in Rafah to ease the suffering of Palestinians whom Hamas has been governing and for whom Hamas ostensibly has sympathy.

Alternately, the civilians of Gaza could be encouraged to urge their fathers, husbands, sons, brothers, uncles and nephews who constitute Hamas’s military arm to surrender to ease the suffering of Gaza’s noncombatants.

Both sides in this conflict have the ability to alleviate Palestinian suffering.

Mark Scher, Potomac