October 1: 'War is peace'? Huh.

October 1 War is peace

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
'War is peace'? Huh. Sir, - To what can the recent epidemic of unjust accusations and threatened lawsuits against Israel's defense establishment be compared? To nothing more than the convoluted, repressive and totally illogical political dogma of George Orwell's classic dystopian novel 1984: "War is peace; freedom is slavery; ignorance is strength." The charges made against Israel by the likes of the mendacious Goldstone report and in the (now defeated) efforts in Britain to jail Defense Minister Ehud Barak turn logic and justice on their heads ("British court throws out arrest warrant petition against Barak," September 30). JONATHAN ADAM SILVERMAN Tel Aviv You have our word Sir, - An important point of clarification re "Canadians launch 'Buycott' campaign against boycotters" (September 25): Canadian Jewish Congress (CJC) led a delegation to the United Church of Canada's (UCC) General Council in August, and through our strong advocacy with friends from the UCC itself we were able to help defeat the anti-Israel boycott motions that came to the floor. Sadly, due to UCC process, these resolutions will come up for consideration again; but not for another three years, when the next General Council Meeting is held. CJC worked hard to assure these resolutions were not passed, and we commit to do the same again, whenever and wherever those who promote a boycott of Israel rear their ugly heads. Resolutions such as these serve only to isolate, demonize and delegitimize the State of Israel. Rest assured, we will never sit idly by and allow that to happen. You have our word. BERNIE M. FARBER Chief Executive Officer Canadian Jewish Congress Toronto Why would anyonewant to harm Israelis? Sir, - There I was, a Canadian Jew, sitting in my living room watching my speciality Israeli channel while Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu delivered his speech at the UN. I was bursting with pride, tears running down my face, for every word was passionate; every word, the truth. As a pro-Israel activist in Canada, I know all about hatred toward Israelis and Jews - oops! I meant Zionists. We are confronted with it almost weekly. I thought, here is a man giving such an eloquent speech, and this same man was prevented from speaking at Concordia University in Montreal some years back by both Islamofascists and "moderate" Muslims. And as he was speaking, I wondered: How can anyone want to harm Israelis, whose discoveries and inventions in modern technology, medicine and the arts help to keep the world at a "forward" pace? Our Canadian Federal government under the leadership of Prime Minister Harper understands this and is leading the world once again - the Canadian delegation not merely walking out during the tyrant Ahmadinejad's speech, but boycotting it altogether ("PM at the UN blasts those silent in face of Ahmadinejad's Holocaust denial," September 25). VARDIT FELDMAN Toronto Sir, - Netanyahu has always spoken well in the UN. However, his betraying his voters and deviating from his policy by agreeing to a Palestinian state cannot be forgotten because of a good speech. Netanyahu would, moreover, always say he is for reciprocity - no more give and give without any take. Well, now he has removed many roadblocks in Judea and Samaria, endangering Jews in the process - even though in Bethlehem, Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah threatened terror and was inciting against Israel. Where is the reciprocity? Offering a Palestinian state without receiving anything from the PLO is a continuation of Ehud Olmert's policies. KALMAN FEDER Nof Ayalon Olmert's 'incredible' offer Sir, - This is what I would say to Ehud Olmert: You feel frustrated by the PA's rejection of your final status proposal ("Olmert: PA won't get a better deal than I gave them," September 25). But you yourself unintentionally gave the Palestinians every reason to say no when you said, "Either two states, or Israel is finished," your catchy way of expressing the unfortunate belief that Israel's existence as a Jewish state hinges upon convincing the Arabs to stop terrorism and accept a small state on 22 percent of Mandatory Palestine. But think for a second. What does that mean from the Arabs' perspective? It means they can either: (a) get a small state now; or (b) wait 10-20 years and finally realize their dream of destroying Israel as a Jewish state. So is it any wonder your "incredible" offer was rejected? Israel needs to stop telling those who pray for our destruction that if they wait, they will succeed. ROBERT KLEIN Beersheba Grant access... Sir, - In "The IDF's new Yom Kippur challenges" (September 25) David Horovitz addressed with clarity and perspective the turbulence created by the Goldstone report on Israel's Operation Cast Lead in Gaza. He reiterated Hamas's callous, inhuman and insidious methods such as involving the innocent as human shields against attack and, given those methods, Israel's attempt to prevent civilian casualties. His final paragraphs focused on the continuous ineptitude of the IDF spokesperson and others involved in media contacts who once again denied access to the "civilian theater of war" in real time. They did exactly the same in the First Lebanon War; even Israeli journalists were kept out for the first two weeks - by which time the world had been misinformed by the other side and we had to douse the flames of international outrage. It is well known that those who "go in with the troops" can only report what they see and, as such, are empathetic to that. We have learned nothing in hasbara terms in all these years. We can and must give access to the truth - or as Horovitz says: "When our enemies identify Israel's hesitation, disarray and weakness, they will relentlessly exploit it." And the world will believe them. ZELDA HARRIS Former Director BIPAC Tel Aviv ...to the truth Sir, - With all due respect, David Horovitz is too demanding about what he expects from the IDF. I daresay most of the foreign press stationed in Israel know how to read English, and they read, hear and see what Israel faces from a terrorist enemy that fights from behind civilians. I'm sure a lot of the foreign press read this latest column, just as I did. They know the story, they are not blind. Why don't they sit down and report on the reality Mr. Horovitz wrote about and that Israel faces from an enemy that takes children on murderous missions and fires from inside homes? I leave it to you to figure out. GEORGE MEDOVOY DAVIS California Sign of strength Sir, - It was a sign of strength to see President Obama standing with the leaders of our allies in calling out the Iranian government for its illegal processing of materials that can be used for nuclear weapons. The UN must act with real sanctions if Iran doesn't stop its program - also Russia and China, who have so far used their seats on the UN Security Council to block any meaningful sanctions. The time to act is now! ("Obama, with backing from UK, France, insists Iran 'must pursue a new course of face consequences,'" September 27). STEVEN M. CLAYTON Ocean, New Jersey