Pieces on a chessboard
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s admonition, combined with other administration policies, is both offensive and dangerous (“Blinken to Israel: ‘Oct. 7 not a license to dehumanize others,’” February 9).
His implication that Israel might be guilty of dehumanizing Palestinians suggests a moral equivalence between the IDF, called by international military experts the most moral army in the world, and the Hamas butchers.
Taken together with President Biden’s opinion that Israel’s response in Gaza to the barbaric attack on Israeli civilians is “over the top,” this is an attempt to force Israel into accepting a premature ceasefire that would enable and embolden Hamas to commit similar atrocities in the future. Blinken also reiterated his call for a two-state solution, promising Israel “the necessary security assurances.” This would reward the Palestinians for Hamas’s unpardonable savagery. Hezbollah’s incessant attacks from areas that the UN guaranteed would be demilitarized are compelling evidence of the unreliability of such assurances.
The US expressly opposes any Israeli action in Rafah – Hamas’s one remaining stronghold. This is an offer of safe haven for Hamas where they could reassert control over the Gazan population, establish a stranglehold on incoming civilian aid, and rearm with smuggled weapons in preparation for their next genocidal attack.
While we appreciate America’s support until now, it appears that the bill is coming due. We cannot be a vassal state bending to our lord’s whims. (Recall Menachem Begin’s lionhearted declaration, “I am not a Jew with trembling knees.”)
We are not compliant children taught morality by parents who provide rewards to entice good behavior. We are not pieces on a chessboard in which players who criticize our soldiers for fighting too hard to defend our very existence are themselves afraid to confront directly the world’s leading supporter of terror – Iran.
We dare not accept conditions that could lead to the demise of the nation state of the Jewish people.
EFRAIM COHEN
Zichron Ya’acov
Not an option
Regarding “Global opposition rises against plan for IDF campaign in Rafah” (February 11): With most of the Hamas battalions no longer operating as functional units, the last few organized fighting forces of the terrorists have now been pushed to the southern part of the Gaza Strip in the Rafah area.
By telling Israel not to proceed in vanquishing this remaining area because of the civilian population crowded there, the Western world is saying to Israel to let Hamas get a pass and survive as a military and political entity, an unacceptable outcome of this war.
In addition, the Hamas top leadership is probably in the Rafah area surrounded by the remaining living hostages and must be eliminated or removed and the hostages freed.
The only solution for preventing large casualties among the non-combatants is to move them temporarily, stress temporarily, to North Sinai. President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi of Egypt must be told that this is a sine qua non for resolving the conundrum.
Guarantees of the return of the Gazans out of Sinai as well as additional economic aid to the cash-strapped Egyptians will be their reward. Egypt, no friend of Hamas and the Moslem Brotherhood, has done a poor job of policing its border with Gaza, allowing arms and combatants to be smuggled in and partly responsible for enabling Hamas to build a strong den of terrorism.
Israel has no alternative to destroying Hamas, and this solution will save many civilian as well as IDF lives. Staying out of Rafah is not an option for Israel after October 7.
FRED EHRMAN
Ra’anana
If Egypt “suspends” its peace treaty with Israel, will Egypt return Sinai to Israel for the duration of the suspension? After all, wasn’t the deal “land for peace?”
KOBI SIMPSON-LAVY
Rehovot
Drastic increases
When I read “IDF wants to increase service by several months” (February 8), my historian’s mind jumped back to ancient Sparta, known for its emphasis on the military, where citizens were supposed to serve even until the age of 60.
Sparta is always compared to its sister city-state, Athens, which is known in history for its rich intellectual and artistic life, not to mention its contributions to Western society of democratic self-governance.
Needless to say, there was little if any university or creative life in Sparta, since its entire population spent its life in the military; nor was their any self-governance because the generals also became the governing body.
Thinking of our young people, who even in peacetime have to delay any higher education until after their army service, it is apt to consider the direction of the nation when we institute such drastic increases in active and reserve duty. I was particularly struck by the statement that reservists in some areas would be required to serve until the age of 66.
The final cut-off in ancient Sparta was 60.
Our government needs to do serious thinking toward the future path of our country in terms of the relationship of military to civilian life. Seeking out smarter techniques might even be more effective than longer service.
MARION REISS
Beit Shemesh
Nobody elected them
Regarding “Shameless” (editorial, February 8): As we watch, in horrified embarrassment, the behavior of these two malevolent clowns – Tally Gotliv and David Amsalem – we should remember that nobody elected them. If we ever manage to reform our electoral system so that we vote for individuals instead of party lists, we will then have some ability to choose our representatives.
NAOMI SANDLER
Jerusalem
A staunch patriot
The article about Gal Hirsch was infuriating (“Hostage rescue chief to receive annual NIS 500,000 salary for role, despite embezzlement indictment,” February 11). Anyone who has followed Ayala Hasson’s in-depth reportage of the charges against him knows the truth.
Charges were trumped up against him the moment he became a candidate to head the police, in order to eliminate his candidacy. His case was dragged out for years, and when no wrongdoing was found, he was pursued on the basis of tax evasion. The decision is pending and the prosecution knows it has no case but hasn’t figured out how to climb down the tree.
Hirsch devoted his life to the IDF and is a staunch patriot. Moreover, he is battling cancer which may have erupted as a result of all the stress and trauma to which he has been subjected.
A salary of some NIS 40,000 per month is reasonable for the high-level position he is filling.
Gal Hirsch is the last person who deserves such negative coverage, and I would expect this newspaper to check out the underlying facts before publishing at random such a pejorative article.
RUTH KATZ
Tel Aviv