All talks must cease linking one-sided Israeli concessions and a final deal between Israel and the Palestinian Authority with US action against Iran’s nuclear program.
By JERUSALEM POST READERSletters pink 88(photo credit: )Leaks make it clearSir, – Now that that the United States has abandoned its policy to pressure Israel into renewing its West Bank construction moratorium (“US, Israel, PA fail to reach deal on settlement freeze,” December 8), it is unclear what the next step from the Obama administration will be. What is clear is that from this point on, all talks must cease linking one-sided Israeli concessions and a final deal between Israel and the Palestinian Authority with US action against Iran’s nuclear program.Diplomatic cables from WikiLeaks reveal that leaders of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states place an end to Iran’s nuclear drive above any other consideration, including the Israel- Palestinian dispute. We can see from these leaks that the administration has been cynically using the Iranian nuclear issue as a tool for extracting concessions from Israel, knowing all the while that such concessions bear no relation whatsoever to regional support for confronting Iran. These cables increase the validity of many analysts and journalists who state that Obama may be the most hostile president to Israel ever.Mr. President, Israel is the most reliable ally we have in the Middle East. We respectfully ask you to start acting on that truth.MORTON A. KLEINNew YorkThe writer is national president of the Zionist Organization of AmericaIs ‘welcome’ right?Sir, – Gershon Baskin’s regrettable column “The house is on fire” (Encountering Peace, December 7) is an amalgamation and repetition of Palestinian Arab positions defending their obsessive rejection of Jewish sovereignty in the Land of Israel.Baskin states, “There are places in the Land of Israel which represent the cradle of our heritage. We should be glad to visit them as welcome guests of the Palestinian state.” Does he really believe that those who deny Jewish legitimacy here will welcome Jews to their historic and religious sites? YITZCHAK BEN-SHMUELModi’inSir, – The peace that Gershon Baskin envisions is one in which we would relinquish control of our most hallowed shrines and “be glad to visit them as welcome guests of the Palestinian state.”Of course. The Arabs once allowed us to cry at the Western Wall even though, according to them, it has no Jewish significance.And when they had effective control of the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron, they graciously allowed Jews to climb up to 12 steps on an outside corner of the building.(Now that Israel has control, Jews and Arabs share equally in its use, even inside.) A recent survey by an American polling organization indicated that 60 percent of the Palestinians would consider a peace agreement with Israel just an interim stage in their quest to establish a Palestinian state on all the land held by Israel. Would we then be “welcome guests” in our own country? TUVIA MUSKINRehovotDon’t just complainSir, – I have been following Daniel Gordis’s articles with interest and some disquiet.He complains – and rightfully so – about an unbelievable bureaucracy and the ineptitude of our Knesset and government (“The state of the state,” December 7). But he has yet to offer any constructive suggestions as to how the situation he deplores can be remedied.ELIEZER WHARTMANJerusalemShark whisperers?Sir, – According to some Egyptian reports, the shark that has been attacking tourists near Sharm e- Sheikh is a Mossad operative (“Egypt claims Sinai shark attack could be Israeli plot,” December 7).I can easily understand how the shark could be trained to bite – that is, after all, rather natural. I have trouble, however, imagining the manner in which the creature was taught to distinguish non- Jews. It must be tricky when everyone is wearing a bathing suit.SIDNEY HANDELTel Aviv
if(catID != 151){
var cont = `Take Israel home with the new Jerusalem Post Store
