April 29, 2019: Recognition of Israel never happened
Jerusalem Post readers have their say.
By LETTERS TO THE EDITORLetters(photo credit: PIXABAY)Recognition of Israel never happenedRegarding “PLO to discuss revoking ‘Israel recognition’” (April 22), it should be noted that the PLO never ratified the Oslo accords and never canceled the PLO charter, two steps which would have obligated the PLO to recognize Israel and denounce terrorism.The first journalist to reveal this was Pinchas Inbari, then correspondent for the left-wing newspaper Al HaMishmar. Reporting in October 1993 as the paper’s special correspondent at the PLO headquarters in Tunisia, Inbari quoted PLO chieftain Yasser Arafat saying that he “could not get the required quorum” of the PLO executive to approve the Oslo accord, known as the Declaration of Principles, so the “DOP” remains unratified to this day. The newest set of PA schoolbooks, published and used since 2013 in all PA and UNRWA schools, delete any reference to the word “Israel” in any PA textbooks, let alone any map of Israel.PA pupils learn that they are fighting a war to liberate Palestine – all of Palestine – from the “Zionist usurper” (not from Israel).For the Palestinian pupil, Israel does not exist.A new examination and translation of the latest PA school books can be found at www.israelbehindthenews.comDAVID BEDEINDirector, Israel Resource News AgencyCenter for Near East Policy ResearchThe Exodus never happenedIn “Separating biblical mythology from biblical history” (April 25), Joshua Davidson, in his capacity as senior rabbi of the Reform Movement’s flagship congregation, is presenting us with his manifesto of Reform Judaism.He begins with denying the existence of the Exodus, invalidating the one ceremony- the Passover Seder – which almost all Jews have kept for thousands of years. More than that, the Exodus constitutes the very basis of our relationship with God, as spelled out in the first of the Ten Commandments. Davidson doubts “the improbable tales of Creation, the parting of the Red Sea and God’s verbal communications with biblical figures (no mention of Moses) and regards the Bible as having been written by human authors in the first millennium BCE. By inference, he denies the existence of the God of IsraelIgnoring the fact that the Jewish people have survived for millennia while their surrounding oppressing nations have totally disappeared, Davidson calls into question the Jewish people as a spiritual entity apart from the nations around them.If Davidson, as spokesman for Reform Judaism, is calling Judaism’s most fundamental beliefs “myths,” Reform has become a total void – and that beautiful Temple Emanuel is a monument to nothing.FRED GOTTLIEBJerusalemJoshua Davidson states, “The sacred myth of Israel as the land promised the Jews by G-d continues to impede progress toward an Israeli-Palestinian peace.” This myth was a propaganda ploy by the historically and scientifically proven first century BCE authors of the Bible. I would like to remind the author, the senior rabbi of Congregation Emanu-El of New York, that the acceptance of an ubiquitous and omnipotent Creator is not subject to scientific proof and neither does the belief in the divine origin of the Torah require archaeological validation.On the contrary, the only myth being promulgated is that of the author’s and the movement that he represents that our continued miraculous and unprecedented survival as a people is dependent on the adoption of a diluted Judaism rather than the continuation of traditional religious beliefs and ritual practice.DR. SAMUEL DERSHOWITZJerusalemNever the twain shall meetRegarding “Friedman to ‘Post’: US thinking ‘out of the box’” (April 25), US Ambassador David Friedman told The Jerusalem Post the Trump administration peace plan is an effort to “think out of the box and capture the imagination and hopes of both sides for a better life.”The problem with this statement is that Islam, in addition to being a religion, is also a political ideology, and “hopes for a better life” for the followers of Islamic ideology will never, ever, find common ground with the hopes of the adherents to a liberal Western democracy. MLADEN ANDRIJASEVIC BeershebaRegarding “Kushner: Peace deal means tough compromises for both” (April 24), the article indicates that the main thrust of the new approach may be to improve the lives of the Palestinians. This is like searching for the car keys under a street lamp instead of around the car, parked in the dark on the opposite side of the road, where they fell, because the light is better under the lamp.The uncompromising (perhaps religious) fixation of the Palestinian leaders is the total unacceptability of an independent Jewish state in the Middle East. The elimination of this state, their ultimate goal, supersedes all other considerations. The PA and Hamas differ significantly only in their method of attaining it.Accordingly, all efforts at finding solutions are doomed from the start by the leaders. Schemes have been devised previously to improve the lot of the Palestinians, but the means made available are diverted by the leadership in accordance with the above mindset. If this mindset did not exist, the conflict could have been settled long ago.Time, effort, expense, planning, debate and attempts at negotiation should be devoted to the only matter that can lead to a resolution of the conflict: changing the leaders’ fixation, or possibly devising a way to bypass the leadership and get through to the people. How could this single central aspect of the conflict have been pushed under the carpet during all these years while all efforts were devoted to other aspects?Surely the “new” innovative attempt by Trump and Co., should try at least moving the light to where the car is and searching there?CHARLES SMITHShoreshNYT: Cartoon Jew hatredAntisemitism is on the rise. Newspapers, including The Jerusalem Post, are full of antisemitic reportage: “Four shot at San Diego shul;” “‘New York Times’ prints antisemitic caricature;” “German museum cancels ‘antisemitic’ BDS event” (all April 28) and more.Liberal progressive Democrats blame US President Donald Trump for the rise in antisemitism (look at Joe Biden’s Charlottesville rants – on his way to a sure-fire defeat in the elections). Hatred of Trump (and of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu) rises to new levels.How does one explain, however, the Pittsburgh and San Diego mass shootings ? This has more to do with social media, where nonsense, outright lunacy and cretinism (of the mental type) reach and are gobbled up by millions of mentally pathetic individuals on a daily basis. It is little wonder that a few are moved to dramatic action to “save” the world from the Jews. The social media have lowered the baseline of “media” idiocy to new levels.Its a far greater danger than climate change – and like climate change, there are no easy solutions.YIGAL HOROWITZBeershebaHow utterly unbelievable is it that major antisemitic tropes can still be published against world leaders in today’s age, in America, in the mainstream press – The New York Times! Compare this to the other side, under an environment of extreme political correctness, where in the attack in Sri Lanka, the victims can only be described as “Easter worshipers” and the religion of the perpetrators cannot be named. We had hoped for so much more.DAVID SMITHRa’ananaOn the same page that The Jerusalem Post reported an antisemitic attack in San Diego, there was a picture of an antisemitic cartoon printed in the New York Times.How many American Jews will announce the cancellation of their subscription to the Times until those responsible for its publication are fired? Or when the Times spits in their face do they say its raining?DAVID STEINHARTPetah TikvaRush to judgmentYour editorial “What, Kochavi?” (April 21) claims that the record of our new chief of staff does not meet the test of “first 100 days in office.” This phrase, appropriate in politics, makes no sense when applied to a top military appointee – particularly in the context of considering the efficacy of the preliminary report of a long-range army reorganization plan.Actually, in terms of Aviv Kochavi’s operational record, he managed the serious challenges on the Syrian and Gaza borders without getting us into a war. Kochavi is faulted for the “amorphous and vague terms, the ambiguous concepts” that appear in a press conference report of the IDF’s multi-year reform plan. Examples of the offensive terms and concepts as given in the editorial include “multidisciplinary target mission directorate,” “multidimensional units” and “new concept of victory.” Awkward mouthfuls in English, indeed! However, as concise statements of the new direction to be taken in the IDF reorganization, they are clear and informative.Yet for your editorial writer, “the meaning of all this is unclear.” Really! The need to have a new concept of “victory” has been much discussed and Kochavi’s inclusion of the subject is significant.Before his appointment as chief of staff, Kochavi was deputy chief of staff, chief of Northern Command, head of Intelligence. In formulating the current plan, , Kochavi “held hundreds of preparatory meetings, convened the general staff for a seminar on the meaning of “victory” and formed team after team to explore the required changes in the IDF” (Amos Harel). In the light of this, the editorial’s rush to judgment is presumptuous and unreasonable. As a veteran reader of the Post, I know which writers to avoid. However, your editorials have generally been judicious, fair and balanced. This one however, was out of line.SHUBERT SPEROJerusalemIsrael-Diaspora relations“The impact of elections on Israel-Diaspora relations” by Kenneth Bandler (April 24) upset me on several levels. We here in Israel are living Judaism every day and seeing tourists of every description coming to celebrate our Passover and the Christian Easter. The tourists are allowed to visit our holy site (the Temple Mount), but we are permitted only by stiff regulations according to the Islamic orders.Of course most Israelis are against giving away any part of our miniscule country to Arabs who have never really agreed to the agreement made by US president Jimmy Carter and they have been fighting us ever since. I do not know of any other “nation” that pays its citizens to murder their neighbors.Israelis are also finding it difficult to be concerned by the various new movements in American Judaism when we see the enormous intermarriage with non-Jews occurring abroad.BARBARA SHAMIRJerusalemMadonna parts the WatersRegarding “Roger Waters to Madonna: Don’t appear in Tel Aviv” (April 18), Roger Waters’s mother imploring her son to “Decide for yourself” and execute the “Right thing to do” was no doubt in reference to the juvenile politics of the playground. Unfortunately, these simple values can not be transposed to the labyrinthine issues of the Middle East in general and the Arab-Israeli conflict in particular.Sadly “bad stuff” occurs in all conflicts; things are not as clear-cut as Waters would simplistically suggest: baddie Israelis (spurious accusations of “apartheid,” “ethnic cleansing,” “slaughter”) vs goodie Palestinians – “fortitude” “grace” and “head high.”Waters’s “brothers and sisters” are solely the Arabs of the conflict – at the expense of all the others. As Daniel Finkelstein has stated, one cannot support the universal rights of one group by trampling on the universal rights of the other. To do so is, as Waters so eruditely stated, “Bullshit.”Madonna should exercise her universal right to perform without undue pressure from Waters, who wishes to promulgate a ridiculously uninformed political view, an “Us and Them” at her expense.CORAL ASHGarden Reach Bucks, UKPerhaps someday they willIn “Young Palestinians” (April 25), Gershon Baskin writes about Palestinian [Arab] youth that are less political than the previous generation and more concerned about their future. Perhaps they will influence their elders to reach an accommodation with Israel.There’s a real need for the young engineers Baskin describes to work in Israeli hi-tech, which would be mutually beneficial.I disagree with Baskin’s statement, “The failure of the peace process led to the Second Intifada.” If there ever was a chance for peace, it was Arab terrorism that killed it, not the opposite.STEVE KRAMERKfar SavaTrumpet the connectionRegarding “Coming soon to the Golan: Kiryat Trump” (April 24), Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants to honor US President Donald Trump by naming a Golan community after him. I suggest “Trumpeldor” – it honors two important men.Or maybe the prime minister will settle for an artists’ colony named “Trump-L’oeil.”LARRY LEFKOWITZModi’inDhimwitsRegarding “Gunmen attack Christians near Ramallah, demand tax” (April 28), when one reads of scores of gunmen in a mob attacking and insulting Christians, firing into the air, throwing rocks and firebombs and demanding that they, as dhimmi, pay the jizyah tax, one can only wonder what life might be like for Jews if, God forbid, they ever find themselves living in the anarchy and lawlessness of a PLO/Gaza state.HANNAH LEVIAshkelon
