To the editor:

Regarding your Oct. 31 story, “VTS hosts controversial ‘Solidarity with Palestine’ forum,” some attendees, in attending the forum, were apparently offended by anyone making a moral equivalency between the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel and the historical treatment of Palestinians by Israel.

I am left wondering if these attendees have any problem making a moral equivalency between the 1,200 mostly civilian Israeli deaths caused by the Hamas attack, and the 43,000 mostly civilian Palestinians who have died since the current war began. I find myself doubting it, even though the latter death toll is 36 times larger than the first one.

We can study the various atrocities in any conflict and very easily make moral equivalencies or vent indignation that insufficient moral outrage has been expressed over one massacre instead of another. Even so, none of the events cease to be atrocities. We can also throw up lots of red herrings, like the notion that any objection to Israel’s historical violence against Palestinians is the equivalent of antisemitism. This conflation is one that is purposeful, strategic and disingenuous. If I object to the corrupt machinations of the government in Italy, it certainly does not mean I hate all Italians.

The problem here may be one of contextualization. The Oct. 7 attack occurred after almost eight decades of Israeli occupations, land confiscations and discrimination. It is patently dishonest to present it as an act of barbaric whimsy occurring in a vacuum. Yes, it was horrifying. As has been Israel’s response.

Contextualization is thus more – not less – important. Honesty is important. Plain speaking is important.

Nothing occurring in the current conflict is occurring in a vacuum, and there will be no peace or justice in the Middle East until that truth is acknowledged, both here and in the Middle East itself.

-Timothy Conway,

Alexandria