Letters to the editor, May 12

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
letters good 88 (photo credit: Courtesy)
letters good 88
(photo credit: Courtesy)
Dream & reality Sir, - I almost always agree with Daniel Pipes, but "Deterring Teheran" (May 10) echoed the sort of stuff one finds in the liberal media. Iran cannot be deterred from going nuclear by international persuasion because (1) China, Russia and most of the rest of the world won't persuade; and (2) Iran is determined to be a nuclear power. Iran also seems to have every intention of using its nukes to destroy Israel, even at the expense of harming itself, as a way to create a new Islamic fundamentalist world order. There is only one option: Dealing with Iran's nuclear reactors - done preferably by the US, but if not, then by Israel. ABE KRIEGER Philadelphia We are not amused Sir, - I am an ardent reader of the Post and generally enjoy your excellent journalism. But why the ongoing fascination with the Iranian president, to the extent of describing in detail his lodgings in Indonesia? ("Frugal Ahmadinejad a reluctant guest in $3,5000 a night Jakarta hotel suite," May 11). Does the Jewish people, two generations after Hitler, have to know the kind of car his successor drives? This man's mission in life is to destroy us, and for us there is nothing amusing about him. ESTER ROSENBAUM Jerusalem Extracting information Sir, - "'Constitution by Consensus' released by Israel Democracy Institute" (May 9) states: "Currently, the IDF does employ torture and pressure tactics when conducting interrogations that are deemed necessary to the security of the state." First of all, the Shin Bet, and not the IDF, is the body that carries out interrogations. Second, the Supreme Court has made clear that the causing of physical pain in interrogations is illegal. If your reporter knows of a recent or current case of torture (which is defined as causing severe pain and suffering, physical or mental), it would be very newsworthy. In the meantime, the flatout claim leaves me flat. Third, pressure tactics are not illegal now, nor, from your article, would they (or should they) be illegal under the proposed constitution. Also, mixing torture and pressure in the same sentence in this context is bewildering. Fourth, presumably, all interrogations that the Shin Bet carries out are related to state security. Apparently, your reporter was thinking about "ticking-bomb" cases, when information is needed immediately and more intense means of interrogation are used upon obtaining special permission from the attorneygeneral. At any rate, that is the official procedure. HAROLD JACOBSON Jerusalem Rose Thering, woman of valor Sir, - Rose Thering, a Roman Catholic nun, died on May 6 at the age of 85. She devoted a good part of her life to speaking out against the teachings of the Catholic church against the Jews. She was instrumental in having removed from textbooks the old accusation that Jews were guilty of killing Jesus. This true woman of valor should be included as a Righteous Gentile in Yad Vashem. By teaching the truth about the innocence of the Jews in Jesus's death to countless numbers of students she saved many Jewish lives. RHODA SCHNEIDER Manalapan, New Jersey Hosting Israelis and loving it Sir, - For the past four years, during our summer and autumn months, I have hosted 800 Israeli travelers. Ninety-five percent of these guests were young people coming right after their time in the army. I commend them for their appreciation and gratitude; they were a delight to have in my home. I am presently in Israel, visiting for three months and enjoying it tremendously to see some of these dear ones again. For those I will not get to see, I want to say to each of them: Shalom. CAROL CARPENTER Invercargill, New Zealand Priority is given to letters that are brief and topical. Letters may be edited and shortened, and must bear the name and place of residence of the writer. letters@jpost.com