In Paula Chester’s letter (“Wasted tomatoes,” Feb. 10) she states that my column (“Barghouti’s Own Life Reveals BDS Deception”) is offensive to those who “sincerely seek to repair the world.” All Jews I know long to repair the world, but some of us want to preserve and defend Israel as well.
She states in her letter that the best way to have a secure, peaceful and democratic Israel is to establish a secure, peaceful and democratic Palestinian state alongside. Israel is already secure, peaceful and democratic. To believe otherwise puts her in the camp of Noam Chomsky, whose perverse worldview holds that the United States is even worse.
But more importantly, BDS’s goals include the right of return, a too-cleverly disguised call for the obliteration of Israel. This is not a petty “pro-Israel-right-or-wrong” quibble. It is acknowledged by the likes of Norman Finkelstein and Noam Chomsky, who agree Israel is a sovereign nation with a right to exist. If Ms. Chester believes otherwise, or believes BDS will in any way “repair the world,” she would fit in well with the audience that night.