Cutting funds from the Palestinians might bring them to the negotiating table.
By LETTERS TO THE EDITORLetters(photo credit: REUTERS)Channeling Glick May I ask that Caroline B. Glick’s “Trump kicks America’s Palestinian habit” (Our World, December 5) somehow be channeled to US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley or to the offices of President Donald Trump himself? This is the most comprehensive report we have read in a while on the massive corruption in UNRWA.We read about it. What does the US plan to do about it? This must be exposed once and for all.DAVID ROTENBERGJerusalemMuch to be desiredRegarding President Trump’s tweeted threats to cut aid to the Palestinians (“Abbas aide rejects Trump threats,” January 4), it is great that President Trump is standing up for Jerusalem and Jewish rights, but his methods leave much to be desired.The whole concept of the president of the United States using social media as a means of communication is unprofessional and reflects poorly on the US in general, for it is the leading nation of our world.Additionally, cutting funds from the Palestinians might bring them to the negotiating table, but they might try other approaches to get their money back first by firing rockets at Israel or committing other forms of terrorism.Let us hope that President Trump will wield his power wisely and that we will see favorable results.HENRY GLUCKJerusalemRecognizing Jerusalem...When US President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital at the beginning of December, it was a breath of fresh air.It is understood that only under Israeli control is there free and safe access for people of all faiths to their holy sites. On the other hand, it is dangerous for Jews to enter Palestinian areas such as Nablus, where Joseph’s Tomb is. Shame on the western world for standing against this well known truth! The dictatorial Arab world has repeatedly sought to push through the UN declarations stating that all holy sites in Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Hebron are Muslim-only, purposely ignoring that Judaism has considered these sites holy for thousands of years, well before Mohammed was even born! These same Arabs think they can force their lies on everyone as if they are the dictators of the world as well.BEN KLEIN New York...and flying direct!A month ago, US President Donald Trump boldly recognized Jerusalem as the capital of the sovereign Jewish state of Israel – but apparently our ministers of transportation, tourism and Jerusalem affairs did not take full cognizance. They should have immediately declared that the Jerusalem airfield constructed by the British at Atarot in the 1920s be reopened to international traffic.In 1973, Atarot was enlarged, making it capable of handling Boeing 737 aircraft. Unfortunately, 30 years later to the day, it was closed to civilian aircraft.Late last month, Transportation Minister Israel Katz announced that Ben-Gurion Airport would undergo extensive expansion and renovation to cope with an expected increase of 50% in passenger traffic by 2024. Yet the vast majority of tourists come and visit Jerusalem, so why not reopen Atarot instead? What better advertisement for the capital city to have its own airport!ELIEZER KAUFMANJerusalemSense of newsworthiness As I glanced at the front page of the January 4 Jerusalem Post, I tried to wrap my head around your decision to devote a full quarter of the page to an advertisement.A story regarding a bill to ease the use of the death penalty? It appeared on Page 2. A former Mossad official’s comments on the Iran nuclear deal? Relegated to Page 3. The use of IDF intelligence on the battlefield? Pushed to Page 4. A quarter- page advertisement for jewelry from H. Stern? Page 1! Talk about tacky....MICHAEL D. HIRSCHTzur YigalWe must be proactive How absolutely disgusting that there are calls for a stronger response to rocket fire from the Gaza Strip (“IDF head: Calls to hit Gaza harder are irresponsible,” January 3). Better we remain on the defensive and wait to be attacked and even killed.After all, we are a humane people! “Over 60 rockets have been fired towards Israel, 20 in the last month. This is something that we will not accept. We are carrying out various covert and overt efforts, including the promotion of restraining factors,” Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Gadi Eisenkot said at a recent conference. Yet he has no qualms in acknowledging that “[d]eterrence is not built in a day....”The IDF does not intend to escalate the situation.In fact, we have accepted rockets from the Gaza Strip, with all the death and destruction they have brought, from the day we surrendered that territory.I think what we should not accept is Eisenkot and all the other defeatists who are afraid to proactively confront and destroy our enemies. These defeatists include Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and figures throughout the defense establishment.We would not need deterrence if we did not allow ourselves to be surrounded by our enemies while refusing to decimate them. We seem instead to take a morbid satisfaction in allowing our own to die rather than kill the terrorists. This is the most unbelievable and humiliating betrayal, something that should have no place in the Jewish state.We are in urgent need of strong leaders with faith, pride and courage, something the present lot sadly lacks.EDITH OGNALLNetanyaI disagree with our chief of staff. We need to hit harder. For each of their rockets, we should hit 10 of their positions – and not just empty buildings.We should be prepared for an escalation because, I am sorry to say, one or more of their rockets will eventually strike a target and cause casualties that require a very strong response. I hope that the “when and where” of this response has already been planned and we will finally end this nightmare for our citizens living in that area.In addition, I have two questions: 1. How are Iranian-made rockets and mortars being delivered from the Sinai to the Gaza Strip? The Egyptians must make a better effort or the IDF will need to do it.2. How are the Iranians transferring tens of millions of dollars to Hamas and other jihadis? We should give our tech people the tools to intercept electronic monetary transfers or we should intercept individuals carrying large sums of cash.MURRAY JOSEPHKiryat MotzkinThe impact of corruptionI commend Gil Troy for his erudite discussion of the impact of corruption on our economy – and us (“Corruption like a cancer grows...,” Center Field, January 3).Just the other day, a friend and I admitted how much we were affected by corruption in government and business. For instance, a lack of oversight allows cellular and phone companies to add charges to our bills without our consent. As Prof. Troy notes, corruption breeds more corruption, which affects business-customer relations – where rules that ingrain corruption become more important than service to the customer.Moreover, efforts to make the Knesset more responsive to citizens have failed because Knesset members won’t willingly give up power. My suggestion: Encourage our lawmakers to add 60 additional MKs to be elected locally. This way, they won’t have to willingly give up power.They should do this before people protest more than the price of cottage cheese.BARRY LYNNEfrat
if(catID != 151){
var cont = `Take Israel home with the new Jerusalem Post Store
