Re Letter writer shows little awareness

Dear Editor:

Michael Murphy and Sandra Beardsall criticize Len Bennett's letter "Israel is showing restraint in Gaza" with the claim he "shows a distinct lack of awareness of his subject."

I'm an Israeli citizen as well as an American citizen, spend most of the year in Israel, and am extremely  familiar with the subject. I know that the Israeli army strives to be the most moral army in the world. I also know that the Chair of Urban Warfare Studies at the Modern War Institute at West Point, John Spencer, who is generally considered America's leading expert on urban warfare, has studied the matter carefully and has concluded that Israel's army has gone to greater lengths than any other army in the world to avoid civilian casualties.

When, even if the inflated casualty figures given by Hamas are correct, the ratio of non-combatant to combatant deaths in Gaza have been in the neighborhood of 1.3 to 1, whereas according to a press release from the United Nations detailing a Security Council meeting held May 25, 2022 the ratio in modern warfare is generally nearly 9 to 1, it's pretty clear Israel is showing praiseworthy restraint in Gaza.

Murphy and Beardsall's other criticisms are equally baseless. I suggest they gain some knowledge of the topic, rather than simply repeating false propaganda, before criticizing others, particularly others with far more knowledge than they have.

Sincerely,

Alan Stein

Sent to the Saskatoon Star Phoenix on July 27, 2024

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