Letters to the Editor: The simplistic idea that Hamas is totally responsible for this violence

Los Angeles Times Opinion
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Palestinians recover the bodies of the al Meghari family killed in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip in Bureij refugee camp, Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023. U.N. humanitarian monitors say at least 2,700 people, including 1,500 children, are missing and believed buried under the rubble. (AP Photo/Adel Hana)
Palestinians recover the bodies of people killed by Israeli strikes at the Bureij refugee camp in the Gaza Strip on Nov. 14. (Adel Hana / Associated Press)

To the editor: Several letters responding to the op-ed article by a pregnant Palestinian woman in Gaza were unanimous in their belief that Hamas is the cause of the current conflict. They imply that if Hamas is removed, harmony in this part of Palestine will ensue.

This simplistic notion fails to address the underlying cause, which is the decades-long military occupation of Gaza followed by a siege, where the inhabitants are not able to live ordinary lives. Rather, they live in quiet desperation not knowing when the next night raid by the Israeli military might occur.

Israel has ignored numerous United Nations resolutions which have addressed its treatment of the Palestinians. Not until Israel comes to the realization that the land must be shared will there ever be peace.

Joseph Tillotson, Redondo Beach

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.