Gwynne Dyer never misses an opportunity to write about his favourite subject: how to blame Israel for all the conflicts it has with its neighbours. After the last conflict with the theocratic, fascist organization Hamas in Gaza, nothing “important” has been happening.

Meanwhile in Syria, the Assad regime is killing thousands of its citizens. In Egypt, President Mohammed Morsi wants to control the country, become the next pharaoh, and impose Sharia law. Does Dyer write about this? No, he thinks writing about “sperm counts” is far more important [“Sperm counts keep falling”, December 13-20].

Could it be that if there are no Jews involved, he thinks there is nothing in the Middle East worth writing about? If you take a look at all he has written about the Middle East in the past, most is about Israel and the Palestinians, blaming the first for the sufferings of the latter.

> Ramon Asahad / Vancouver

Philip Marsh manages to evade the reality of Gaza by finding a single word—genocide—to object to [Letters, December 6-13]. Israeli historian Ilan Pappé considers Israel to be practising genocide in Gaza because the policy is to simply kill people, including civilians. He documents how Israel provokes rocket attacks in order to massively bomb a densely populated concentration camp.

Land incursions serve the purpose of killing very large numbers of civilians under the guise of collateral damage while fighting. There is no fighting. The Palestinians have no weapons to counter gunboats, artillery, tanks, helicopters, and jet bombers.

A UN report on Gaza states that it will be “unlivable” by 2020 without massive aid. The ground water is contaminated due to Israel bombing the sewage-treatment system and the electrical infrastructure. Ninety percent of Gaza’s aquifer is contaminated, and Israel takes water from the one uncontaminated aquifer.

Israel’s separation fence is deep within Gaza, cutting off 35 percent of the farmland. Food must be smuggled in through tunnels that are bombed. Fishers cannot go further than three nautical miles due to the blockade.

The World Health Organization cites a rising mortality rate among children and infants; 30 percent of children show “significant” mental-health problems from the bombing; children are chronically malnourished and many have stunted growth. There is 45-percent unemployment, and 95 percent of businesses have closed since the blockade.

Garbage cannot be collected due to a fuel shortage, homes cannot be rebuilt because of the blockade, medicines are unavailable, and there is serious danger of epidemics.

Perhaps Marsh can find something other than a word to criticize.

> James Hillen / North Vancouver