By LETTERS TO THE EDITORLetters(photo credit: REUTERS)
Ethnicity in ‘Post’The headline “Supporters hold rally for return of Ethiopian- Israeli Avera Mengistu” (August 18) was a sad diversion from all the strides being made toward equality in general, and in your pages in particular.It was also offensive. Is Mr. Mengistu not an Israeli, period? Not to belittle the importance of our primary Israeli identity, but a facing-page headline was a bit ironic – “Labor leader says he would welcome Ashkenazi in party.”Hmmm. Things do change with time.LEAH LERNERMa’aleh AdumimVocal hatred Your article “Labor favorite sets up clash with Cameron” (International News, August 18), which is about the possible new leader of the UK Labor Party, Jeremy Corbyn, and his Marxist views, failed to add that he is openly anti-Semitic and openly anti-Israel.In an interview on the news here on Sunday evening, Corbyn was seen speaking at various gatherings about how Israel is a danger to world peace, and how Hezbollah is a moderate organization that should be used for negotiations.The hatred in his voice goes far beyond the essence of the article. He comes over as a complete fascist.JOYCE KAHNPetah TikvaUnimaginable horror Neville Teller (“The sovereign state of Palestine that never was,” Comment & Features, August 18) enjoys playing the “what if” game, purportedly using an objective lens to consider what would have been over the past 15 years had then-prime minister Ehud Barak succeeded in selling out Israel’s interests to Yasser Arafat.Although he claims to view this objectively from both sides, he paints a rosy picture as a probability while exploring the pessimistic argument as only a remote possibility. Notwithstanding the Palestinian Authority’s constant incitement, denial of Jewish ties to the land and oft-stated objective of replacing all of Israel with Palestine, Mr. Teller wants us to believe that we missed a golden opportunity in July 2000.Allow me to paint a far more realistic picture.The July 2000 agreement is accepted by Arafat, bringing Palestine into existence.Immediately, rockets are launched from Judea and Samaria, shutting down Ben-Gurion Airport and drastically reducing tourism, Israel’s lifeblood. Industry is markedly reduced, aliya comes to a virtual halt, the economy plummets and hundreds of Israelis are murdered in their own homes each year by bands of thugs who can now freely enter Israel and move about. In addition, foreign investment grinds to a stop, as Israelis are now surrounded by a million additional enemies sworn to their destruction against an IDF whose deterrence factor is no longer existent.Instead of telling us how idyllic life would have been over the past 15 years, Mr. Teller should ask Barak himself, a man who, by his own admission, almost brought about an unimaginable horror.NOAM COHENEfratIran: A parable Thank you for publishing Benjamin Weinthal’s “Embracing Iran: The Swiss cheese sanctions policy” (Analysis, August 16), on the unraveling of existing sanctions regimes, with the ink barely dry on the disastrous Iran pact.A parable can illuminate the matter.The wise men of Chelm, assembled in Vienna, achieve a compromise on the nuclear issue with Ayatollah Iran to remove sanctions. But since Iran is expanding its aggressions throughout the Middle East, an outside visitor alerts the wise men that their removal of sanctions might, in fact, increase the danger of war.Reconvening hastily on the Danube, one of the wise men proposes to redouble sanctions on Tehran. He says: “Have we not imposed sanctions against Russia because of its own aggression?” Another says: “No problem; we’ll just give the new sanctions another name. Instead of ‘nuclear sanctions,’ let’s call them ‘non-nuclear sanctions.’” Another in the conclave objects: “If so, why not at least leave the current sanctions in place?” In unison, the others reply: “Do you want the Ayatollahs to think we are stupid for having agreed to remove the sanctions in the first place?”AARON BRAUNSTEINJerusalemThe writer is a retired US Foreign Service officer.Insane policy To comprehend how insane Israel’s policy is regarding terrorists, every politician here should read “Extradition denial highlights conflicting views of US supermax prison” (Comment & Features, August 16).While America imprisons terrorists in inhumane supermaxes or executes them, Israel keeps them alive in tolerable jails. This very course has driven Palestinian terrorists numerous times since 1968 – when they hijacked an El Al plane to Algeria – to kidnap soldiers and hijack buses and planes to exchange hostages for imprisoned comrades.This practice culminated in 2011 in the release of over 1,000 Palestinian terrorists, some in prison for heinous crimes against civilians, in return for the Israeli soldier Gilad Schalit.This was undoubtedly the most humiliating event that any country has endured in our time.Even more outrageous is that Israel’s senseless policy has led to the unforgivable sin of two needless wars in which hundreds of Israeli soldiers lost their lives. Last summer’s Gaza conflict was sparked by the murder of three Israeli teenagers kidnapped for a prisoner swap, and by the Gaza tunnels to be used to kidnap Israeli soldiers, also for a prisoner exchange.Similarly, Israel’s war with Hezbollah in 2006 was precipitated by the abduction of soldiers for the freeing of Lebanese terrorists.JACOB MENDLOVICTorontoEternal Jerusalem With regard to “Arabs throw rocks at bus on way to memorial on Mount of Olives” (August 14), Jerusalem is too important a city to be subject to constant rock throwing, attacks with vehicles, stabbings, and general violence and lawlessness.We are not Syria, and this is not a matter of just saying it will pass. These are battles in a continuous war against a Jewish city.There is a very strong and determined effort to make it impossible for Jews to lead a normal life here. The Arabs are determined to bring in Europe and therefore will do everything possible to make chaos.These Arabs are not innocent and must be punished severely.It will be impossible to carry on with normal life if this does not happen.The world will not care one bit if Jews do not live in Jerusalem.We must care. The mayor must care. The prime minister must care. We must open our eyes now and see to it that Jewish Jerusalem, with all its history, continues to live and inspire all of us.Jerusalem is eternal.THELMA SUSSWEINJerusalem
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