Letters to the Editor | Feb. 22, 2024

Human rights and peace organizations worldwide are raising an alarm. Palestinians in Gaza are facing the threat of extermination or expulsion, and the Biden administration is green-lighting it. Our president is facilitating the mass murder of the Palestinian people with our tax dollars. There’s no other way to say it. This week, the U.S. again vetoed a cease-fire resolution at the U.N. Security Council. We have watched our government’s complicity in what the International Court of Justice determined were plausible allegations that Israel has violated the Genocide Convention. We have looked to no avail for the Biden administration to finally establish “red lines” on Israel. Instead, we see that it rushes even more weapons and vetoes cease-fire resolutions. It’s cruel, inhumane, and un-Christian.

Andrew Mills, Lower Gwynedd

I do not understand the “abandon Biden over Gaza” movement proposed by some Muslim activists. Abandon him for whom? If the expected Joe Biden vs. Donald Trump rematch is on the ballot in November, abandoning Biden is equivalent to embracing Trump. Do activists think Trump will offer Gaza more support than Biden has? The comparison of Trump’s travel ban to Biden’s actions in response to Israeli retaliation for the Hamas attack is not a fair comparison. Trump’s travel ban was unprovoked; Biden has had to balance Israel’s need to respond to a horrific attack with the concern over Palestinian civilians caught in the middle. The better comparison would be to what Trump would have done under the current circumstances. There is no reason to believe Gaza would be better off with a Trump administration, and there are lots of reasons to believe Gazans would be worse off. Recall that Benjamin Netanyahu said Trump was the “greatest friend that Israel has ever had in the White House.” So, I ask again: Abandon Biden for whom?

Bob Leipold, West Chester

As a dedicated Philadelphia special education teacher, I resonate deeply with the concerns expressed in the recent op-ed about the challenges our students and teachers face in this school system. The issues of funding, inadequate resources, and the school-to-prison pipeline are indeed alarming. However, it is crucial to recognize that the teachers’ union often exacerbates these problems. The Philadelphia Federation of Teachers continues to advocate for changes that prevent individualized approaches to learning and teaching. During the pandemic, the union advocated for school closures, harming all students, particularly special education students who need individualized support.

In the 2020-21 school year, the district called teachers back to work multiple times. By February 2021, I returned to work because it was the right thing to do for my students; the teachers didn’t return till March 2021. The union must actively address the exodus of teachers by advocating for improving working conditions and school safety, staffing buildings properly, and advocating for established academic programs that teach children how to read. Unfortunately, the union regularly chooses politics and financial power over supporting teachers and students in a meaningful way. It’s time to focus on the true needs of teachers and students if we truly want to improve Philadelphia schools.

Rochelle Porto, Bensalem

It took former President Donald Trump several days to mention the death of Russian dissident Alexei Navalny. Even when he did, Trump did not offer condolences, nor did he laud Navalny’s bravery and resoluteness as a fighter for democracy and against corruption. No, he did none of those things. In a twist that can only be described as disgusting and grotesque, Trump said Navalny’s death reminded him of how he — Trump — is being unfairly persecuted. Nobody with Trump’s massive megalomaniacal self-absorption should ever again serve as our president and be the putative leader of the free world. This is a danger and risk that our country, and the world, should never again have to face.

Ken Derow, Swarthmore

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