To the Editor : Re '' American Jews Sharing Pain of Gaza Pullout '' -LRB- news article , Aug. 14 -RRB- : While many American Jews may be upset by scenes of Jewish settlers forced to evacuate illegal settlements in the Gaza Strip , American Arabs and Muslims have , for the last 38 years , been disturbed by Israel 's occupation and colonization of the Gaza Strip , East Jerusalem and the West Bank , and the debilitating effect this occupation has had on Palestinians .