Column ignores wrongs committed by Israel

Dear Dr. Charles Krauthammer: I find your column to be one of the most bigoted and objectionable columns written by a physician. I find it devoid of humanity and sensitivity toward the Palestinians, a people to whom I am proud to belong.

In your March 21 column, you write about the concessions that you expect President Abbas to make to the Israelis. Where have you been living, and what have you been reading?

It is not the Palestinian authority that possesses nuclear warheads. It is not the Palestinians who possess one of the world's most advanced and ruthless military machines. It is not the Palestinians who are building illegal walls condemned by the International Court of Justice. It is not the Palestinians who live in 200 illegal settlements in land stolen from its rightful owners. It is not the Palestinian authority that bombed Lebanon in 2006 with cluster bombs and Gaza in 2008 with white phosphorus bombs, with thousands killed.

It is not the Palestinians who bulldoze homes and uproot Arab olive groves. It is Palestinians who live in squalor in refugee camps within site of their occupied villages and homes.

To expect the Palestinians to make concessions is absurd and twisted. Recognizing the human rights of Palestinians, dismantling illegal settlements and returning to them what is rightfully theirs is mandatory for lasting peace. Condemning illegal settlements and demanding a freeze by the Obama administration is a step in the right direction.

Dr. Patrick Hitchon

Iowa City