I am puzzled as to why Ellie Eiger (Brandeis ‘20) and Congressman Kennedy in a recent article (“Congressman discusses US-Israel Relationship”) believe that the citizens of Gaza should vote in Israeli elections?

 Gaza has never been part of Israel.  In the Biblical Period, it was the Land of the Philistines, one of Ancient Israel’s mortal enemies. From 1948-67, it was part of Egypt, and served as the staging point for the murderous Fedayeen raids.  It is interesting to note that, just as Jordan never gave a moment’s thought to an independent Palestinian State in the West Bank during its occupation from 1948-67, Egypt never uttered a word about an independent Gaza, either.

 Israel left Gaza in 2006, withdrawing all of its citizens and leaving major agricultural and industrial structures intact when it ceded the area to the Palestinian Authority (PA) as part of the Oslo Accords and subsequent agreements.  Within two years, the corrupt PA was ousted in an election that went to the more radical Hamas — and that was the last time Gazans (and West Bank Palestinians) had an opportunity to exercise the right to vote because the “democratic” Palestinian  Authority has gone 14 years without another election!

 Gaza is not part of Israel, so its residents should not vote in Israeli elections.

—Nathan Salant serves on the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America’s Letter Writers Board.