Letter to the Editor:

The article “Hamas Threatens Revenge” (Oct. 8) described the Israelis
firing a missile into a large crowd of Palestinians, killing 12 and
wounding 110 which included many women and children. This isn’t the
first
time the Israelis have done this. In July, they fired a missile into a
crowded apartment building in Gaza which killed and wounded dozens of
other
innocent civilians.

If the victims of this attack had been Israelis, this article would
have
appeared on the front page of the Oregonian, not on page 6 where it
appeared. If the victims had been Israelis, the words “violence” and
“terrorism” would have been used to describe this horrendous assault.
Does not
an Israseli attack ever warrant words stronger than “self defense”?

There is a careful manipulation of language these days. When
Palestinians
are killed, it is “in response” or “self defense”. When Israelis are
killed, it is “violence” and “terrorism”.

John Grosvenor