If being closed down for one day causes such traffic jams, how come being closed down for eight is acceptable, with no questions asked?
By LETTERS TO THE EDITORLetters(photo credit: REUTERS)Double standards The latest manipulated media misquote from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (“PM: I didn’t compare Azaria’s parents to those of fallen soldiers,” September 26) shows that political bias is working well in Israel and the media can twist facts to suit their prejudice.It’s not just the UN that has double standards.And thinking of double standards, I should praise Israel Railways.A few weeks ago, the haredim “closed down” the rail system for one day and the world came to an end, with talk of the transportation minister being sacked. More recently, Israel Railways closed the system for eight full days, and its public relations department managed to convince the media that it was no big deal.If being closed down for one day causes such traffic jams, how come being closed down for eight is acceptable, with no questions asked?BOB KNIGHTModi’inRetirement worriesAs I read your front-page article “Mashaal to step down as Hamas leader next year” (September 26), I was wondering: Is he entitled to retirement benefits, or will he be forced to get by on the billions he is purported to have siphoned off over the past 20 years? MICHAEL D. HIRSCH Kochav Yair Breast cancer Kudos to The Jerusalem Post for running “October is International Breast Cancer Awareness Month” (September 26) with a nice pink headline. The glaring problem with the article, however, is that it fails to urge women to self-check.Failure to detect tumors early means much lower survival rates.Self-examination saves lives.Women should check themselves on a monthly basis. Lifestyle change is also important, especially when there is a family history – another topic that was not presented despite high rates of breast cancer in the Ashkenazi community.CHANAH STILLMANEfratOn culture and factsWith regard to “Miri Regev’s illtimed tirade” (Comment & Features, September 26), the “culture crowd” in Israel obviously believes that culture is culture. Whether it supports our continuation as a democratic country in this minuscule piece of land or seeks our demise, that which is written is holy. And since it is holy, not only should it be presented on stage or published, but the state has an obligation to support it financially.That, of course, is some people’s idea of democracy. That, they believe, is what a real democracy would do.Wrong. Works dedicated to our demise or otherwise opposed to our existence have no right to such expectations and should definitely not receive the state’s approbation or support. That is the way of a democracy that seeks to strengthen itself.Such was the attitude of the United States in World War II toward Ezra Pound, by all estimates a very fine poet, but a strong, outspoken supporter of Nazi Germany and Hitler. His poems were neither published nor read publicly during the war years, and it took more years for him to be able to reestablish himself in the opinions of those he valued.A democracy’s obligation is not to its enemies, but to itself and its citizens.RHEA ISRAELRehovotThe only thing ill-timed about Culture and Sports Minister Miri Regev’s comments is that they should have been made a long time ago.Why should the Israeli government financially support art that proposes terror and violence against Israeli citizens and the state? Should we expect a government minister to remain silent while attending an event where a public reading, using Israeli citizens’ taxes, calls for people to “eat the heads and flesh of our oppressors”? Why was this not mentioned in the article? On the facing page, Susan Hattis Rolef, in “Our refusal to contend with historical facts” (Think About It, September 26), writes that Jewish records show Arab villagers at Deir Yasin “were simply executed.”She presents this as fact and as generally accepted from Jewish sources, yet there are numerous Jewish sources saying that Arabs were simply caught in the crossfire when used as human shields.Why does the opinions editor allow such headlines and deceptive representation presented as facts to be published on an almost a daily basis? MAURICE MOSHE ERNST Jerusalem I appreciate Susan Hattis Rolef’s emphasis on the Lod and Ramle expulsion orders having been issued by Yigal Alon. He made the right decision: The flight of thousands of refugees at a crucial time saved Israel.However, I wish to recognize Palestinian refugees alongside Jewish fighters as those who suffered losses in the establishment of the state.RUTH LANDAU SafedUN had no right Your September 23 editorial “The US and Jerusalem” should have been headlined “The US, the UN and Jerusalem.”In his authoritative treatise “The Legal Foundation and Borders of Israel under International Law,” the late Howard Grief, a Jerusalem advocate, established beyond any doubt that the UN was prohibited by Article 80 of its charter (also known as the “Jewish Peoples” clause) from partitioning Palestine into two states, one Jewish and one Palestinian. Therefore, all actions taken by the UN regarding alleged Israeli irregularities concerning the so-called West Bank are illegal and without force and effect.Moreover, it must be noted that in point of fact and law, no such entity as a “Palestinian people” exists. This fabrication was first conceived by the grand mufti of Jerusalem in 1920 in order to challenge the Zionist presence in Palestine, and was later adopted by Yasser Arafat and his acolytes to challenge Israeli sovereignty in Israel proper, as well as in the West Bank. Notable Arab writers of the 1960s disputed and condemned this newly invented designation as blasphemy, insisting that they were Arabs, not Palestinians. Nonetheless, this nonsense carries on to this very day.In sum, under international law as correctly read by Grief, Israel’s sovereignty over the entire land, inclusive of Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem, remains inviolate. The UN must correct its original error and transmit the corrected status to the world community.ARTHUR SAFIRWarminster, PennsylvaniaThe writer is a former deputy attorney general of the state of New Jersey.Unusually quickWith regard to “Dear God” (September 22), I’m not surprised that people write letters to God. I am surprised that the Israel Postal Company actually managed to deliver the mail before the High Holy Days.DANIEL ABELMANJerusalemBikes on sidewalks Yesterday, I very nearly became an accident statistic. How? I was minding my own business, walking up the sidewalk and about to enter a building. The next thing I knew, an electric-powered bicycle hit my left leg.Fortunately, it caused no damage.But in other circumstances, it would have.The cyclist was totally unrepentant and told me I should watch where I was going. I told him in no uncertain words that he should be riding on the road, not the sidewalk.There must be a major campaign to pass legislation to stop cyclists from using the sidewalks. Their place is on the road. That’s where wheels belong. The legislation must be backed up by surveillance and heavy fines; the latter must be publicized so we can get back to safe walking.A further law is necessary in that all bicycles should be licensed and the owners have third-party insurance to cover the costs of accidents with the walking public.BOB GOLDJerusalem
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