The three Letters to the Editor you published last week under the prominent headline, “Reich’s ‘Rant’,” in response to my Opinion piece, “Israel’s Assault on Democracy: Time To Speak Out” (April 29) underscore one of the points in my piece and entirely miss the main point.
First is that one can be a supporter, even lover, of Israel yet still publicly criticize the policies of its government. The second and most important point, which none of the Letter writers addressed, is: “Israel is losing the support of Americans, particularly the younger ones.” A new survey released today regrettably bears this out. As reported in JTA, “Sympathy for the Palestinians [over Israel] is up most sharply among the youngest American adults, growing threefold over the last decade, the new survey by the Pew Research Center shows.” This is a serious issue that may not be wished away or swept under the rug by overzealous critics who just don’t get it – not here in America, or in Israel.
Manhattan
The writer is a former chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations.
