A recent conversation with a moshavnik reminded me of the ongoing problems with enforcing regulations regarding the treatment of agricultural products.
By LETTERS TO THE EDITORUpdated: AUGUST 13, 2017 20:10Letters(photo credit: REUTERS)Had him, lost him To paraphrase a famous line, “You had me at hello but lost me at goodbye.”I went along with Amotz Asa-El’s premise describing the similarities between US president Richard Nixon and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and their various political successes (“The Nixonization of Bibi Netanyahu,” Middle Israel, August 11). But then he went on to define the Israeli media as speaking the truth at great cost and even “walking in the footsteps of Moses.”Well, I think that while Mr. Asa-El might be treading in those footsteps, he’s ignoring the sheep droppings along the way.It sounds as though he’s never picked up a copy of Haaretz or Yediot Aharonot. It’s always seemed to me that the reporters there look for imaginative and creative ways of crafting any story or event into an attack against the Right, and especially Netanyahu.Too bad. He really had me at hello.BENJIE HERSKOWITZMa’aleh AdumimBeware the RightWith regard to “PM lashes out: Media thought-police are obsessively trying to oust me” (August 10), our prime minister would be well advised to take frequent glances over his right shoulder because recent electoral history in Israel has proven that the real danger comes from that direction.Not only was the last election orchestrated by our own very right-wing prime minister and his party cohorts, but previous rightist governments were forced into new elections not by the Left, but by coalition members and MKs even farther to the right. The reasons included settlement and Land of Israel issues or this or that religious issue, like the public desecration of Shabbat and/or official recognition of non-Orthodox Jewish movements. The latter angered the haredi parties, which are considered natural partners in all right-wing governments.So beware, Mr. Netanyahu, of being distracted by those obsessive leftists determined to bring you down, as this brings in a Trojan horse filled with the real danger to your continued leadership: your own right-wing supporters, coalition members and even Likud MKs and ministers.GERSHON HARRISHatzor HaglilitNot just hygiene So various cosmetic and personal hygiene products are 20% more expensive in Israel than elsewhere, and the ministries of Health and Economy are arguing about whether reducing import restrictions will endanger public health (“Ministry supports import competition on perfumes, soaps,” August 10). You might be impressed by all this bureaucratic concern for the public’s welfare, but think again.A recent conversation with a moshavnik reminded me of the ongoing problems with enforcing regulations regarding the treatment of agricultural products, stuff we actually eat rather than dab on our skin. The improper use of pesticides and other dangerous practices are widespread because, the moshavnik says, of a lack of supervision and inspections.NAOMI SANDLERJerusalem Milk industry Dangerous levels of progesterone in milk in Israel should trigger a huge response in the Israeli media, but the milk industry is a major advertiser. Our government has also failed to relate to the subject – I suppose it is because of the same power the industry has.Does anyone in the political system or the media care that in August 2012, Ynet published an article by Yaron Kelner saying that 80% of young Israelis applying to be sperm donors had been turned down due to low sperm quality, with cellphones – and milk – to blame? Does anyone care that so many Israeli children are obese and often show signs of premature sexual development? The drive for financial success no matter what harm might come motivates too many still. Yet we also have our good side, and that is to be a beacon of light and hope. This spirit is clearly radiant in so many good people living here, and is especially visible in so many of our youth.We will yet turn our country around and be the beacon of light we were destined to be!ELIYAHU HOLLEYMevaseret ZionKudos to Leibler With regard to “Postmortem of a disastrous month” (Candidly Speaking, August 10), what a fantastic column! Isi Leibler is able to see the situations he writes about in a realistic manner, and then gives his opinions as to how these can be approached. His views are always well thought out. They are neither wild nor irresponsible. They are things to which his readers can relate.At the end of his latest column, he reminds us that we should remember we are a superpower today – “militarily, economically and technologically.” Wonderful words to read! Mr. Leibler’s Candidly Speaking columns, in my humble opinion, should be read by all young or future political journalists as part of their training.LINDA HIRSCHNetanyaDismay over ‘Post’ Reader Allan Leibler (“PM’s probe,” Letters, August 10) expresses my own deep dismay and disappointment in The Jerusalem Post over the past few weeks.As an over-30-year subscriber, I have never witnessed such unprofessional front page make up, banner headlines and sensationalist captions. Since when do tendentious “leaks,” damaging to named individuals, constitute news that’s fit to print? This is not reporting news but disseminating calumny. There is no “right of the public to know” when it comes to slander.A four-column headline at the top of your July 25 Page 5 reads: “Don’t call Hazan a pimp, says Ethics Committee.” This poor attempt at college humor converts a moral victory into a gratuitous embarrassment for Likud MK Oren Hazan.SHUBERT SPEROJerusalemAs I do not follow internal American affairs closely, I find that I often fail to understand the point of your “Trump cartoonist.”Allow me to suggest that you consider hiring a cartoonist who deals full-time with Israeli issues (although the Trump cartoonist’s contributions would be welcome when he deals with US President Donald Trump’s actions as they refer to this country).RAPHAEL GRONERJerusalemSwastika TWith regard to “US T-shirt company sells colorful swastika design as “symbol of love and peace” (August 7) and “‘Peace’ shirts swapped for anti-swastika designs” (August 8), I thought that between the hysteria and fits, you and your readers would be interested in reading the very well articulated response to my complaint to Teespring, the webbased US vendor: “Thank you for reaching out, and I apologize for any offense that may have been caused by the campaign in question.“KA Designs [the shirt’s creator] is in no way affiliated with Teespring and does not reflect the company’s views. The moment Teespring was made aware of the design, it was removed from the site. No T-shirts were sold to consumers and Teespring did not profit from this design in any way.“Teespring would like to apologize for this incident and is taking action to ensure this does not happen again in the future.The company uses keyword detection, image recognition and manual review across its extensive catalogue of inventory.They are continually improving the processes to ensure content of this nature doesn’t appear on the site and they are creating more sophisticated systems and layers of manual review.“Teespring stands in solidarity with those who took offense to this design, and in a show of support, the company will be making a donation to Yad Vashem.”WILLIAM LEVYRehovot
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