great lte in Pioneer Press today, Hating war and loving people

[annm4peace]

Many of us protested at the Israeli government-funded Batsheva Ballet at the Northrop Auditorium on Feb. 18, and it's not because we dislike ballet dancers or, more specifically, Israeli ballet dancers. One of my grandfathers was Jewish. I have many Jewish friends and I barely even know any Palestinians.

However, the performance presented a great opportunity to demonstrate against the recent senseless tragedy of bombing Gaza , including the use of horrific chemical weapons, like phosphorus, and the killing of so many innocent women and children.

Martin Luther King Jr. lived by the wisdom that one can hate the sin without hating the sinner. So it is possible to hate war and violence without hating those caught up in it. Our banner said that one can be "pro-Israel, pro-peace, pro-Palestine, and pro-justice."

I hate seeing people hurt and killed, and I hate seeing the works of man and nature destroyed. Simply put, I hate war and I love people.

Robert Palmer II, Rosemount