Letters 346695

Only a selection of letters can be published. Priority goes to those that are brief and topical.

By JERUSALEM POST READERS
Letters 370 (photo credit: REUTERS)
Letters 370
(photo credit: REUTERS)
Not a panacea
Sir, – Karen Iris Tucker, in “The intellectual embargo: Political tool – or censorship of free ideas?” (Feature, March 14), seems to justify BDS, as if all the Palestinians’ problems are due to the Israeli occupation.
She ignores the fact that the living standard in Muslim countries is far lower than in the West Bank. She quotes Bashar Azzeh, who supports the boycott because the average Palestinian is poor. But he will be even poorer if the boycott closes Israeli factories that provide Arabs with well-paid jobs.
The water shortage was far worse when the West Bank was occupied by Jordan. Jerusalem was divided into districts and only one received water on a given day. Israel solved the problem by installing larger pumps.
I will support BDS when it is possible to discuss Islam freely in a Muslim university, and the BDS movement sanctions every country that occupies a neighbor’s territory.
CHARLES OREN Herzliya
Boycott by language?
Sir, – Alan Levine (“Does Israel have an economic strategy on Iran?” Opinion, March 14) writes about Samsung and its cooperation with Iran. This brought forth the idea of sanctions against the company. In connection to this, I would like to bring your readers’ attention to this incident.
Last year I was in New York City and wanted to buy a tablet for my daughter. In checking out the features of the Samsung tablets, I noticed there was a large selection of built-in languages.
There was no Hebrew. I checked in different stores and even asked the sales people to help me find the Hebrew language choice. No one could find it. Other tablets had Hebrew on their hard disks.
This surprised us.
I refused to buy the Samsung, explaining that if it did not have Hebrew it was useless to me. I did not want to buy it and then have to try to download it. In Israel, it comes with the language.
This experience made me think that Samsung is, for some reason, deliberately excluding Hebrew outside of Israel. The only conclusion I could come to is that it is some kind of a boycott.
Consumers in the US, and especially New York, should be made aware that Samsung is the only tablet in the area without Hebrew.
AHARON GOLDBERG Hatzor Haglilit
Golf (of sorts)
Sir, – Referring to “The surprising variety of Negev attractions” (Tour Israel, March 14), I would like to inform readers that there is now a “golf course” inside the Habsor-Eshkol National Park. The course is of the disc-golf variety, which is hugely popular in the US and other countries, and is much more suitable for water-short Israel than the more traditional golf.
There is no charge for playing, beyond the normal park entrance fee.
ZVI TEFF Karmiel
Disgusting letters
Sir, – I was disgusted by two letters (“Contentious cover, March 14) written in objection to your February 28 article on same-sex households.
Where do these people live? In the Middle Ages? If a child is loved and nurtured by both parents, as it should be, then who is to decide if the parents should be heterosexual or not? Any person willing to go through so much heartache and red tape for years to finally get what most of us take for granted – a child – fully deserves it. I applaud them.
PHILIPPA KUSHNIR Herzliya
Sir, – Reader Michael D. Hirsch’s letter about the article on samesex households asks when we will see a story about “a farm boy [who] wishes to enter into matrimony with his pet sheep.” Reader I. Kemp writes that although he/ she is “not religious... if Leviticus 18 makes me homophobic, I am so and without shame.” Reader Raphael Ben-Yosef states that “the child they [the same-sex couple] have brought into the world... will face the inquisitive gibes of playmates.”
The arrogance and ignorance of all these remarks is truly mind-boggling. May these letter writers find healing.
BAKOL RUBEN GELLAR Jerusalem
Write to: maglet@jpost.com
Only a selection of letters can be published. Priority goes to those that are brief and topical. Letters may be edited, and must bear the name and address of the writer.