Letters to the Editor: Long history

Appeasement never works.

By LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Letters (photo credit: REUTERS)
Letters
(photo credit: REUTERS)
Long history
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has left himself open to dispute by saying, in your words, as you report in “Netanyahu publicly disputes Tillerson on US Embassy” (May 15), that “Israel might not want the US Embassy relocated to Jerusalem at this time.” We must remember that Tillerson’s State Department has a long history of not being so friendly to the Jewish people and the State of Israel.
Breckenridge Long, an assistant secretary of state, had much to do with shutting America’s gates to refugees trying to escape the gas chambers of Hitler’s Germany. Secretary of state George Marshall was vehemently against recognizing statehood for Israel. As secretary of state, John Foster Dulles viewed Israel as a headache while trying to strengthen relations with the Arab states. The peace plan put forward by then-secretary of state William Rogers was rejected by both Israel and Egypt. Secretary of state Madeline Albright made some witless comments regarding Hamas in more recent years. And of course, as secretary of state, the incomparable John Kerry presided over UN Security Council Resolution 2334.
The bureaucrats serving as department heads are rife with Arabists who have no great love for Israel. But they now have a president who is unconventional and doing his best “to drain the swamp.”
Appeasement never works. An angry China became much more compliant when President Donald Trump had a phone conversation with the Taiwanese president.
Peace will only come to this land when the Arabs recognize that the Jewish state is here to stay, and reality hits them in the face. Moving the embassy to Israel’s capital is a big first step to achieving that elusive, century-old goal.
FRED EHRMAN
New York/Ra’anana
Animals in bonfires
With regard to “Volunteers patrol Lag Ba’omer bonfires to rescue animals from flames” (May 15), Shahar Liani and her legion of volunteers go throughout the country on Lag Ba’omer and are on the lookout for anyone hurling innocent animals into the blazes. These volunteers reach into the flames to take out the burning animals, with the perpetrators chasing after them.
Teenagers who throw small, defenseless kittens and puppies into bonfires to watch them burn are mentally sick and cruel cowards. They do not throw large animals into the fire, and the reason is clear: A large dog is strong and the cowards only pick on the defenseless.
These are the same cowards who will gang up on a weaker person to harm him, or will beat a woman. They might go farther and set fire to a human being – and as we know, it has been done already in Israel by a sick teen.
Police should be on the lookout for these teenagers and have them spend time in jail with hardened criminals and see how it feels to be defenseless.
BARBARA GINSBERG
Ma’aleh Adumim
I have never been so shocked and angry. Is this truly Israel where I read this horrendous item about cats and dogs being thrown into bonfires? Where were these disgusting children spawned? Who are their parents to bring them up in this manner? I couldn’t sleep for the images haunting me, nor could I believe that this could happen. And these young monsters will go in the army? I truly hope that when caught, the culprits have severe punishments meted out.
If ever there was a case for banning the bonfires, this is it.
LINDA SILVERSTONE
Herzliya Pituah
I read about Jews hating Jews and the proposed new law being introduced by Shas to not recognize non-Orthodox streams of Judaism, and then I read about brainless teenagers killing God’s little animals in bonfires and wonder if it is time for me to move on elsewhere.
It was Mahatma Gandhi who said: The greatness of a nation is shown by the way it treats its animals. This country still has a long way to go.
GERALDINE THEMAL
Kiryat Tivon
On Sunday night, my wife and I did the only sensible thing we could do: We sat in our apartment, closed all the windows and turned on the air conditioning. We even kept our cats from going onto our balconies – why should they have to inhale air poisoned by irresponsible people of all ages who insist on wreaking environmental havoc? What I didn’t realize until I read reporter Sharon Udasin’s “Volunteers patrol Lag Ba’omer bonfires to rescue animals from flames” is that some sadistic teenagers are intent on enhancing their Lag Ba’omer celebrations by throwing live cats and dogs into the bonfires, and only the efforts of some dedicated volunteers prevent them from doing just that.
Should there be an organization devoted to limiting the whole bonfire business to events sponsored and supervised by municipalities, count me in.
FRED CASDEN
Ma’aleh Adumim
Accuracy in holidays
I was irritated to read the opening sentence of “VE Day likely to be declared a national holiday” (May 15), which began by describing it as the “day on which Europe was victorious over the Nazis in World War II.”
Anyone with a rudimentary knowledge of the Holocaust knows that Europe in general collaborated with its German conquerors. It was the Allies who defeated the Nazis. They were, in chronological order: Britain (fighting from September 1939), the Soviet Union (fighting from June 1941) and the US (fighting from December 1941). They were assisted by the Free French forces, as well as by people from other occupied territories who had made their escape. Although the refugees were helpful, the bulk of the burden was borne by the three main allies.
This victory did not end the war, which continued in the Pacific theater until August, when Japan surrendered. VJ day marked the end of the war itself.
Please understand that I am completely in favor of increasing the number of secular holidays on our calendar, but I believe that the reasons for their establishment should be given in terms that are accurate historically
ALBERT JACOB
Beersheba
Brilliant column
I read Isi Leibler’s brilliant “Lauder promoting Abbas as a respectable moderate is fraught with danger” (Candidly Speaking, May 14) and can say once again that if people really want to understand the situation, they need read no farther than this column. Mr. Leibler, as always, tells it exactly as it is.
He tells Ronald Lauder and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu what they both need to be doing – especially Lauder, despite his good intentions and dedication to the interests of the Jewish people. Lauder’s efforts could desperately misfire, and suddenly US President Donald Trump would be more than capable of relegating his friend to the back of the class.
Most of us will welcome Trump here with a warm heart, happy to have him share this wonderful celebration of Jerusalem Day with us. Yet we need to feel that he will not betray us, especially over the promises made by a man like Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who teaches small children to despise us and tells his people that only the death of the Israeli Jews will suffice – and then outrageously preaches to Trump that he is not responsible for any of this and that, in fact, he is a man of peace.
LINDA HIRSCH
Netanya