April 27: Overprivileged

Overprivileged

Sir, – The Palestinian prisoners are on a hunger strike because, among other things, they are demanding better jail conditions (“Israel ‘punishes’ Palestinian hunger strikers,” April 24).

What do they think a prison is, a luxury hotel? As it is, they receive family visits, are allowed to have electronic devices, have canteen privileges, a TV in their cell, etc. They are lucky not to be in a Palestinian jail. I’m sure that there they don’t have all these privileges.

Maybe, we should send them to the Palestinian jails and then these prisoners will find out what a jail is really like.

HANNAH SONDHELM
Jerusalem

Sad farewell

Sir, – Just as an Egyptian newspaper closed, (“Egyptian English-language daily newspaper folds,” April 24) so too the 50-year-old publication of Sha’ar La’Matchil (an easy- Hebrew newspaper) has ceased publication.

To those of us who looked forward to its regular appearance every Tuesday it is indeed sad. It was the one and only chance to be able to understand the news in Hebrew and feel like we are part of the Hebrew-speaking country.

Perhaps the the Education Ministry will reconsider this move.

RENEE RABINOWITZ FEIGENBAUM
Netanya

Strike now

Sir, – Until reading the article by Oded Tyra, (“Attack Iran now,” Comment and Features, April 24) I was opposed to any Israeli preemptive strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities.

However, after reviewing all the options he cited and realizing that all the economic sanctions are not effective in getting the Iranian government to cease its production of nuclear weapons, I do not think that Israel has a choice and therefore must preemptively strike.

The fact that a nuclear-armed Iran will dominate the Middle East should be of concern to the West and all the other Arab nations in the Middle East.

But for us in Israel, the issue is greater than being a mere concern, because it is a question of our very existence and survival, a Shoah in the sense that even a few nuclear bombs on our small country could kill almost as many Jews as did Hitler’s Final Solution.

Whether an Israeli attack against Iran’s nuclear facilities would or would not be supported by other nations can no longer be a factor for Israel’s policy makers, because it is not their but our survival which is at stake.

JOSHUA J. ADLER
Jerusalem

Israeli traitors

Sir, – Left-wing extremists or vandals are not the correct names for those who deface a memorial for a terror victim and a stone wall bearing names of hundreds of soldiers that were killed since 1967 (“Activists deface memorials for terror victims and fallen security personnel,” April 20).

In addition these so-called extremists spray painted the words “the fallen were killed for their treason,” and put up Palestinian flags.

These people are a disgrace to the State of Israel, and to the memory of the fallen, who were killed protecting the people of Israel.

Defacers such as these should be called “traitors” to Israel and tried in a Court of Justice and handed a sentence for traitors who commit treason.

Perhaps they could be expelled to Gaza where they would learn what it means to live with the extremists. A good lesson, well deserved.

BARBARA GINSBERG
Ma’aleh Adumim