By LETTERS TO THE EDITORLetters(photo credit: REUTERS)Ashamed IrishI am writing with regard to the recent coverage in The Jerusalem Post on the Irish Senate’s passage of a bill imposing criminal penalties on anyone trading goods from “occupied territories.”As an Irish citizen who loves Israel and the Jewish people, I am both appalled and ashamed at this measure.Appalled at the bill’s thinly veiled antisemitism, and ashamed of my fellow countrymen who are promoting it.Criticism of Israel is not automatically antisemitic, but to uniquely single out Israel for criticism and boycott is.Although it supposedly opposes the BDS bill, the Irish government contends that the “settlements” issue drives the public’s support for the Palestinian cause.Yet from my own vantage point here in Ireland, it is clear that if we all woke up to no “settlements” tomorrow morning, another pretext would be found for demonizing Israel, and there are many contenders!Nonetheless, Israel does have many friends here! The Irish branch of the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem recently hosted a reception for the Israeli ambassador to Ireland in celebration of the 70th anniversary of the re-establishment of the State of Israel. This event included supporters who were Iranian and Palestinian!There is still a voice for Israel in Ireland and we will not be silent! As a believer in the veracity of the Hebrew Scriptures, I am convinced that in another 70 years there will still be a State of Israel. I have no such confidence for my own country if we continue along our present path.PAUL COULTERThe writer is the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem–Ireland deputy director.Old SettlersIt is estimated that 4.5 million Irish arrived in America between 1820 and 1930. They settled on the lands of indigenous Native Americans. Many of these people were forced to leave their traditional hunting and farming lands.Where is the BDS against Irish Americans supported by the Irish parliament?Surely they should examine their own history as “settlers” before passing discriminatory legislation against other peoples.KAREN PISKNetanyaEU InterferenceRegarding, EU: Nation state bill could harm Israeli democracy, July 15, EU Ambassador to Israel Emanuele Giafret has no right to preach and pontificate to the State of Israel regarding laws proposed in the Knesset.The soil of Europe is saturated in Jewish blood.Eighty years ago almost to the day, an international conference was held in Evian Les Bains in France where 32 nations gathered to discuss how to act humanitarianly towards the Jewish residents in territories controlled by the Nazis.In the nine days of the conference the delegations wined and dined in a gastronomical fete but when it came to the final crunch, every one of the 31 ambassadors to the conference got up and made excuses why they would not do anything. Only the Dominican Republic offered to take a limited number of Jewish bachelors.Has the EU ambassador forgotten how the European countries were responsible for the death of over six million Jews because these countries turned a blind eye to the pillage, destruction and ultimate death of the Jews of Europe?The ambassador also should be reminded of the Venice European Community Declaration of June 1980 where they actually opposed the Egyptian-Israeli peace deal negotiated by Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and put their support behind the PLO.Ironically, in September 1979 the spokesman for the nine at the UN General Assembly was none other than the Irish foreign minister, this country now supports BDS. Then, as today, 40 years later, the EU still thinks it knows what is better for the Jewish people. They need reminding how they turned their backs on us 80 years ago, sending the majority of our people to their deaths.It is time they ceased this sickening demonstration of pro Arab antisemitic and anti-Israel rhetoric and concentrate on areas of the world where the plight and suffering of the inhabitants warrant more attention – one could start with Syria, which has killed over 300,000 of its people, making millions as refugees, to escape from the barbarism of the despot Assad.COLIN L LECIJerusalemFor the childrenWith all the demonstrations around the surrogacy law and the fact that men in a single-sex relationship were left out, isn’t there anyone who will speak for the right of the child not to be born.We can’t ask the child in advance if he or she would want to be born into a situation, but we could do studies on those that were, and those studies take a generation, since this is a fairly new phenomena.By their own admission, the potential fathers want to have a child so that they can realize their dream of self-fulfillment and a cementing of their homosexual relationship through fatherhood.As a parent and grandparent, I can accept their life choices but the bottom line is who will advocate for the unborn child who may be put in a situation that is confusing at best and possibly detrimental to their mental health and stability.Is there no one who will speak for the child? Or the woman who is renting her body because she needs the income?The Knesset did well in not passing this segment of the surrogacy law, I hope they never do. Surrogacy was meant to help those married couples who suffer the heartbreak of infertility, not those who need self-fulfillment .Let’s put the children first for once and let the gays continue to be the way they are without bringing innocent children into the relationship and sentencing them to a life that they might not want to be part of and have no way of escaping.JUDY LEVRa’ananaFlying BlindAt least in a democracy, the judicial system implicitly assumes that the judges are in a position to understand the details of the case, or to learn further about them if necessary. When the July 17 article “MKs to vote on bill limiting Palestinian access to HCJ” notes that the High Court “does not investigate land status,” it is pointing out the tip of a big, dangerous iceberg.The Supreme Court has been assuming the role of a final authority without having been appealed to by any lower court, skipping the stage at which documented land status, or any other evidence, can be properly requested, produced, and if necessary challenged.The Supreme Court is flying blind. Everyone – settlers, Arabs, bystanders, and cat burglars – should encourage any Knesset bill that brings cases to a lower court for a proper hearing before the cases go to the Supreme Court.MARK L. LEVINSON HerzliyaEconomic ScrewsIsrael’s response to the annoying incendiary devices being floated into Israel from Gaza is the correct one (“UN Warns of ‘precarious Gaza Situation’ after Israel bans gas, fuel imports,” July 17).A military action would be viewed as disproportionate even among supporters of Israel. These devices are not life threatening, and military action would only serve to trigger mortar and rocket attacks, that are, regrettably, life threatening, as we have seen.In addition to tightening the “economic screws” on Gaza by restricting the movement of non-essential goods into Gaza, Israel might want to consider delivering (by drone) pamphlets – or even taking out paid advertisements in Palestinian newspapers and TV – that convey to the residents of Gaza that as soon as the incursions of their annoying and damaging incendiary devices are halted, “normal” life will resume.IRA SOHNNew YorkStrange tea fellowsThose who objected to the visit of Viktor Orban, the prime minister of Hungary, should cast their minds back.During the days of the Cold War, all the nations of Europe under the sway of the USSR were fervently anti-Israel, with the exception of Romania.Then, the ruler of Romania was Nicolae Ceausescu. He, (aided and abetted by his wife, Elana) was a most brutal and murderous thug who caused the death of hundreds of thousands of his own people. However, in spite of that, and with the situation here at the time, much was made of his warm feelings toward Israel.In the national interest, it is sometimes advisable to do business with people one would not normally invite to tea.OSCAR DAVIESJerusalemGet readyThe factual report of the State Comptroller (“Comptroller confirms: Israel not ready for a major quake,” July 19) confirming the widely held belief that Israel is inadequately prepared for a major earthquake as is predicted by the experts should resonate like alarm sirens in the ears of our leaders.The government’s own predictions involve over 230,000 fatalities, injured and homeless necessitating immediate action by providing adequate funding including, if required, diverting from non essential expenditure such as highway development, settlement expansion, missions to the moon, cultural extravaganza to mention just a few.There is adequate infrastructure for the public sector provided government departments are required to pull together.The private sector, including residential accommodation, represents a greater problem. The ill conceived Tama 38 initiative has been an abysmal failure being based on commercial viability and could never operate in areas of most need.The government needs to establish a relief fund enabling homeowners to obtain interest fee grants to carry out the basic safety improvements repayable on any future disposal.A special commission should be set up for implementation and control.If our leaders wish to avoid being linked with “Nero who fiddled while Rome burned” they must act now.AUSTEN SCIENCEHerzliyaLimited futureRepeatedly we observe disparaging and disturbing articles in Gershon Baskin’s Encountering Peace. It provides the impression that the author is continually dreaming with the fairies in an Alice in Wonderland world. Could it be that he is not all there?Here is another beauty (“Encountering Peace, Barak is coming?” July 19). He now has the lust and trust for a failed, deposed, recycled political opportunist as our leader. We could be waiting.His past resume is suspect. Boastingly he was one of the instigators who inappropriately demonstrated and protested for the release of Gilad Schalit in exchange for 1,000 convicted Arab prisoners, many with blood on their hands. What an ingenuous feat. Instead he should be ashamed and insecure of himself.As a result of this exchange we are continually being faced with recurring bloodthirsty offenders, such as the evil psychopath serial killer who murdered his own to become a Hamas terrorist leader flying kites, balloons and condoms creating destruction and damage, and using children and women as human shields.His name to fame is the intimidation to cut out the hearts of Jews. If it is meant in jest and this is his peace I suggest his future is limited.JACK DAVISJerusalem
