Letters to the Editor: Democrats can’t continue to ignore how the Gaza war is dividing their party
To the editor: I attended the California Democratic Party Convention in Sacramento last weekend and was shocked by the willful refusal of state party officials to acknowledge the war in the Gaza Strip. (“Democrats are split on Israel and the race for Feinstein’s Senate seat, as 2024 looms,” Nov. 19)
They carefully crafted a gathering where there was no discussion about a cease-fire until their zombie convention was interrupted by a vocal chorus demanding an immediate end to the careless slaughter of innocent civilians who have nowhere to run and nowhere to hide.
State party Chairman Rusty Hicks presided over that cowardly debacle and should resign for his incompetence. Reps. Katie Porter (D-Irvine) and Adam B. Schiff (D-Burbank) were simply diminished by their own moral cowardice to address the killing.
Until the Democrats confront the moral urgency of this sorrowful crisis, they too will find there is nowhere to hide. Moral cowardice is what stands in the way of party unity, not dissent within the ranks.
Jordan Vannini, Pasadena
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To the editor: Your article states, “Israel’s deadly invasion of Gaza in the aftermath of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack dominated the convention.”
To assert that Israel entered Gaza after an “attack” misrepresents the Hamas pogrom that inflicted rape, sexual torture, dismemberment and burning of the living that ended lives of 1,200 civilians, and made 240 others Hamas’ captives. It is this massacre and these abductions that forced Israel into this war.
The article also states, “In 2018, the California Democratic Party sent a clear message when members voted to back then-state lawmaker Kevin de León over [then-Sen. Dianne] Feinstein.”
Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) may have earned the most delegate votes at the convention, but this story omits that despite party backing, money and “clear” messaging, De León lost to Feinstein in 2018.
The party bubble doesn’t always reflect the preferences of mainstream voters, who right now have Lee in last place among the top three Democrats in the race.
Jo Perry, Studio City
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To the editor: The subject of Israel has never been a consensus builder, but the current war has made finding a middle ground impossible.
Yes, Israel has the right to exist. Yes, Israel has the right to defend itself. The brutality that Hamas showed to innocent Israelis was sickening and appalling.
“An eye for an eye” is one thing, but the recent events in Gaza are nothing short of collateral damage on steroids. Many Hamas fighters have been eliminated, but at what cost?
The scorched-earth approach has moved the needle not for Hamas, which is a terrorist organization, but rather for Israel, which may soon find itself with only one ally — the United States.
As long as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the fringe right govern Israel, there may never be peace in that area. Hamas needs to be gone, but Netanyahu needs to stop this massacre of Palestinians.
Homer Alba, Glendale
