Jon Paul Youakim is the common anti-Israel activist, a person who suffers an inferiority complex that ultimately causes racist sentiment. His research is lacking, and his blind hatred and attempt to be part of a morally justified minority has ironically resulted in morally reprehensible beliefs.

Youakim’s historical claims that Palestinians have lived in their region for 2000 years indisputably contradict all relevant and credible historical facts. At the time of the Ottoman Empire, the region of Palestine had constant movement. Entire towns moved in and out of Palestine, to Jordan and back for centuries, due to economic reasons such as taxation. Furthermore, population records from the early 20th century, along with birth rates and other numbers, indicate that there was significant immigration into the region during the 20th century. I am not arguing that Palestinians lived in the region before Israel, nor challenging the right of a Palestinian State, but one has no right to continue to use disproved claims to discredit Israel.

As for the “thousands of Palestinians … slaughtered,” Youakim shows utter disregard for the fact that a war took place at the time of Israel’s independence, in which 6,000 Jews were killed. Furthermore, there has never been any proof of a direct “slaughtering” of thousands of Palestinians at any point in modern history, at least not by Israelis, aside from outlandish claims by Arab media of Israelis injecting HIV into Palestinian children.

Arafat’s reign of terror, of stealing billions of dollars from the Palestinian people and inciting hatred, is finally over, and the new Palestinian Prime Minister is providing hopes for peace, safety and an end to poverty within Palestinian territories. Israel is on the leading edge of curing cancer, diabetes and improving modern technology. All of this is possible, no thanks to dictator-loving ignoramuses like Youakim.

Jeremy Glassenberg

junior in engineering