Resolution Far Away
The headline of your feature article, “A Poll Shows Palestinians Overwhelmingly Support Oct. 7” (Dec. 28), is truly horrifying and disturbing (though the article goes on to provide needed context for the data).
The headline, however, could just as easily have highlighted a separate survey result noted in the article, and it would have been equally horrifying and disturbing — “81% [of Jewish Israelis] believe that the army should not take Palestinian suffering into account when planning its military operations in the war.”
Much has been written about the dehumanization of the “other” on both sides of the conflict, but these two poll findings cast this sad state of affairs into stark relief and demonstrate how far away we are from ever reaching a resolution.
To borrow the totally apt words of Stephen Sondheim — “Well, they began it! [No,] they began it!” — is never going to be a recipe for ending it.
Richie Feder, Mount Airy
Presumptions Made
The editorial on the Supreme Court (“The Supreme Court — Front and Center,” Dec. 28) presumes that your readers are all on board with the position taken, which is singularly political e.g., “Confidence in the Supreme Court has fallen to a historic low.”
Of course, this is opinion only and of such generality that there is no way of supporting it factually. Obviously, this derision is aimed at your description of a “free for all around the country” because of the overturning of Roe v. Wade. I agree that a clear majority of Jews may safely be categorized as pro choice, but there is also a sincere minority of disagreement among the Orthodox, whose opinion is safely ignored.
I don’t know where “the strong evidence … that the system isn’t working” actually exists regarding the justices control over their own ethical decisions. My guess is that we will wait for quite a while to see the direct connection between a judge’s decision and some undue influence by a friend or relative. ■
Ronald Beifeld, Conshohocken
