In his latest analysis of the ongoing tragedy in the Middle East, guest columnist Joe Gannon [“Sees changes for Israel,” May 4] declares “Israel’s right to exist is not in danger as a nation state. It is too powerful and has nukes. Period.”

Wow, that’s pretty conclusive.

I guess Mr. Gannon must have been at the movies the night Iran launched 170 drones, 30 cruise missiles and 120 ballistic missiles at Israel in one of the largest rocket attacks in history. Iran is feverishly working on obtaining nuclear weapons of its own and its repressive theocratic regime — which is detested by the vast majority of its own citizens — announces its goal of eradicating the “Zionist entity” almost daily.

But no worries, Israel, it’s all good. The survivors of the systematic cold-blooded massacre, mutilation, and rape of 1,200 people on Oct. 7 should just chill out and relax because Israel is “not in danger as a nation state.”

Mr. Gannon goes on to proclaim that the Holocaust and the “constant drumbeat that Israel’s very existence is threatened” doesn’t give Israel “the unlimited right to occupy and control any Palestinian territory beyond its original 1967 borders.” I guess he must have been on a solo voyage around the globe in 2000 when, at the Camp David Summit, Israel offered Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat that very territory in exchange for peace. Arafat rejected the offer, instead launching the Second Intifada, resulting in the deaths of thousands of Israelis and Palestinians, decimating the Israel peace movement and ultimately leading to the election of the right-wing Netanyahu government that remains in power to this day.

Finally, Mr. Gannon asks, “must the world” accept Israel’s existence as a Jewish state if it’s not a democracy. Actually Israel is a democracy, with Arab-Israelis serving in its parliament and on its Supreme Court. In polls taken after Oct 7, when given the choice to be citizens of Israel or a Palestinian state, 60% of Arab-Israelis indicated that they would prefer to remain Israeli.

Meanwhile, neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority have held elections in almost 20 years.

Steve Bloom

Amherst