Israel has a good reason for blockade

All three of the anti-Israel letters published in the June 15 edition conveniently ignored the reason for Israel's enforcement of the naval blockade of the Gaza Strip.

Simply put, the reason is to stymie Iran's determined efforts to equip the terrorist organization Hamas with missiles that can reach the heart of Israel. Hamas has become an almost wholly owned subsidiary of the Iranian regime. The highly respected Global Research in International Affairs Center reported in April that almost 90 percent of Hamas' $540 million annual budget comes from Iran.

It was the Iranians that made Grad missiles that Hamas used to strike the Israeli city of Beersheeba last year. Also, a senior Hamas operative told the London Sunday Times that almost 1,000 Hamas members have been trained in building rockets and bombs, tactical warfare, weapons operation and sniper tactics by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.

But for the  blockade, the Gaza Strip would be teeming with Iranian-made missiles, which Hamas would use to resume its assault.

Writers who naively take Israel to task for enforcing a blockade are in reality promoting the cause of the Iranian regime and its terrorist clients.

DAVID W. STEINBACH
Co-chair, Iran Task Force of Pittsburgh
Squirrel Hill