While I am not a fan of Sen. Angus King, I disagree with Kristen Salvatore’s criticism of him for his positions regarding Israel (“Sen. King’s moral leadership on Gaza is coming up short,” May 12). Israel has been at war constantly for its survival ever since it was created in 1948, and it appears that the country’s leadership has decided that it has had enough of the attacks.

While there is no denying the horrors of what is going on in Gaza at the moment, the cruelty of Hamas in its attack on Oct. 7, 2023, does indeed bear consideration. Ms. Salvatore’s argument that Israel’s reaction is excessive could be made by the Japanese following our use of nuclear weapons to end World War II. Quoting Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman, “War is hell.”

Michael Smith
Wells