To the editor:

“What we are witnessing today is a story of the forces of good versus evil. The forces of civilization against the forces of barbarism, of humanity versus depravity.” — Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-NY, in a speech to a caucus of Israel’s parliament, the Knesset.

I’ve listened intently to news about Hamas’ horrific crimes on Oct. 7, the ravages of the war in Gaza and the dangerous rise in antisemitism. I sense something missing in the discussion of the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

In the 1948 Palestine War, Israeli forces evicted the populations of hundreds of Palestinian towns and villages, which were razed to the ground to prevent residents from returning. Palestinians were massacred and wells were poisoned. Over 700,000 Palestinians, whose families lived for generations on the land that became Israel, fled or were expelled.

Palestinians call this the Nakba, meaning “the catastrophe,” and it was commemorated on May 15, Nakba Day.

Shouldn’t these events be included in the conversation? Critics of university protests allege the students are ignorant of history, yet how many Americans are aware of this collective trauma to the Palestinians?

Terry Hansen

Milwaukee, Wisconsin