Excuse me.

• Position: Letter to the Editor

Dear Synthesis,

Your repulsive articles on the Mideast [in S/R 29] demonstrate your transformation from an ecological group to a mindless "freedom is slavery, ignorance is strength" flock of sheep.

Let me list a few examples. Your article by Rob Miller, "Israel: a terrorist success story," describes the history of Israel as terrorism. That could be said of the US, England and just about any other nation. Most of the Arab nations originated in conquest of tribal peoples. As for Israel, its history is that of the most oppressed people in the world, barely surviving extinction, and then struggling to survive and defend themselves. A stunning piece of Stalinist truth-twisting is found in the assertion that Israel's 1948 and 1967 wars were "acquisition of territory by force." These wars were Israel's struggle for survival against the Arab nations' attempt to wipe them off the earth (a goal still espoused by the Islamic nations). Miller states that Bad Guy Israel "demanded the right to exist" before it would give up territory. Excuse me? Don't we all take for granted the "right to exist?" Your writer has betrayed his essential bias that Israel does not deserve that fundamental right. Is this the viewpoint of a liberal and humanitarian group such as the Greens are supposed to be? You support other ethnic groups' struggle but for some reason Jews count for nothing. This is strange considering that probably a third or more of your members are Jewish. When these people finally wake up and stop abetting their own destruction, I bet most of the leftist groups in this country will crumble for lack of membership.

Another gigantic truth-twister is seen in the article "Divestment Now," in which William Pleasant states that "special oppression of girls and women [by Israelis, I would assume] ... enrage the Arab masses." Excuse me? Women and girls in Arabic countries are treated far worse than the worst that Israel could offer. Need I mention...