Gordon Weil’s Jan. 26 column (“Absolute Power Corrupts”) unfortunately gives your readership a distorted perspective of the conflict between Israel and Hamas, while unfairly criticizing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Weil credits Netanyahu, who was born in 1949, with “admitting to one of the most historic lies.” Does Mr. Weil really think Netanyahu knew from the cradle that he opposed a “two state solution,” long before first becoming prime minister in 1996?

Anyone interested in truly understanding the background of the current Middle East conflict would acknowledge Israel was repeatedly attacked by all its neighboring Arab countries in the decades after it was created by the United Nations in 1948. From then until 1967, Jordan included what is today called the West Bank, while Egypt included what is today called the Gaza Strip. Israel won control over both the West Bank and the Gaza strip after it was attacked by these countries in June 1967 (the Six Day War). Egypt ceded control of Gaza to Israel following the Camp David Accords, and Israel finally relinquished control of Gaza to its Arab inhabitants in 2005.

Notably, Egypt did not want or try to reclaim that territory, and cooperated with Israel, at least superficially, to enforce a military embargo on Gaza. Instead of trying to make peace with Israel, residents of Gaza elected Hamas to run their government, on a promise to destroy Israel and drive the Jews into the sea. It is apparent they have been working towards that goal ever since.

In light of this history of war after 1948, and the much longer history of murderous antisemitism in the Middle East and elsewhere, Israel has understandably been determined to avoid additional and even more damaging conflict with its Arab neighbors. One of the most important facts about Israel’s position is its extremely thin “waist” between Jerusalem on the west and the Mediterranean Sea on the east (Tel Aviv). The entire country is less than 10 miles wide at this point, which is at the same latitude as the West Bank. Militarily, any hostile force controlling the West Bank literally holds a knife to Israel’s throat. This realization underscores the need for Israel to build and maintain a robust population and a strong security presence in the West Bank, even while it has allowed self-government for the major Arab cities and population centers.

As Israel’s famous diplomat Abba Eban said in 1973, “the Arabs have never missed an opportunity to miss an opportunity” for self-government and peace with Israel. It is outrageous that Mr. Weil blames Netanyahu for any unavoidable and terrible humanitarian consequences of the destructive politics pursued by the Arabs who wishfully self-identify as Palestinian.