We share Hal Cohen’s outrage at Hamas’s unspeakable recent murder of six Israeli hostages. No decent person could defend Hamas, which is, indeed, evil personified; but it is absolutely wrong to equate Hamas with all Palestinians or Gazans.

Nothing — including Hamas’s atrocities — can justify Israel’s wanton killing of 40,000 Gazans and leaving thousands more wounded, orphaned, widowed, homeless, starving and threatened with disease in a country turned to rubble by American-supplied bombs. Many, including Israelis, blame Israel’s devastating losses on Prime Minister Netanyahu and his far-right government as much as on Hamas. Netanyahu and the Israeli military and intelligence had detailed advance warning of Hamas’s planned attack. They did nothing to prevent it or even to rescue terrified victims calling desperately for help on October 7. Netanyahu is widely believed to have thwarted proposed ceasefire and hostage return plans because he knows that once the assault ends, he will face grim reckoning for his war crimes and treachery.

We can’t think of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, the youngest and best-known of Hamas’s latest victims, without feeling how similar he was to Hisham Awartani, who, along with two fellow Palestinian college students was shot by an “ordinary” white American as the three walked down a peaceful Burlington street. If their assailant had been a better shot, all three would now be dead. Fortunately, two escaped serious harm, but Awartani is paralyzed from the chest down and may not walk again. Hersh and Hisham were close in age, even both dual US/Israeli citizens: intelligent, exuberant, idealistic young men with loving families and bright futures who, in a civilized world, might well have been friends.

All this righteous flag waving, slogan chanting and demonizing of the other side is easy and worse than useless. Who is seriously committed to the hard work of making peace?

Judy and Michael Olinick

Middlebury