Mr. Wolf Blitzer

CNN Late Edition
lateedition@cnn.com

Subject: August 19, 2001. 12 to 12.45 pm program on Palestine (Suggestion on ending terrorism)


Dear Mr. Blitzer

Perhaps you deserve congratulation on having such a big chunk of CNN time all to yourself. I would like to recommend that you provide some diversity on complex issues like the conflict in Palestine.
Today your program became so slanted in favor of Israel that it can be described as propaganda. You had two senators on, Durbin (D) from Illinois and Allen (R) from Virginia, both supportive of Israel and dismissive of Palestine. In fact Sen. George Allen went beyond the line of duty to condemn Palestinian "terrorism."
I wonder what you expect your viewers to gain from such a one-sided program which simply ignored the Palestinian perspective. Perhaps you were trying to show bi-partisan support for Israel. Or perhaps you are from the pre-internet era when the major media behaved as if they could make Palestine a non-issue by simply ignoring it. Nowadays that simply doesn't work. Take this very email, for instance: I am sure you will ignore it but it will be picked up by thousands of readers on the internet and the world-wide-web.
As for the issue of "terrorism", I have a suggestion which can end such "terrorism." The United States should supply the latest tanks, planes, surveillance equipment and night fighting equipment to the Palestinians. Thus the Palestinians will be able to fight the Israelis on the basis of conventional weaponry and there will be no need for their young people to blow themselves up to get back at the Israelis who have killed nearly 500 Palestinians, mostly children and young people ages 10 to 18 to 24.
I wonder if you have read the history of the Warsaw ghetto and the fighting in the Ukraine during World War II. In those instances, when the Jews became desperate enough to attack the SS in their barracks where they stayed with their families and civilian attendants, would you have any qualms about the families of the SS and Nazi civilians getting killed in the process?

Sincerely

Kaukab Siddique, Ph.D
410-638-5965

2001-08-23 Thu 18:34ct