Letters to the Editor

With regard to “Drive-by shooting victim: Life in Samaria is a game of Russian roulette”

By LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Letters (photo credit: REUTERS)
Letters
(photo credit: REUTERS)
Growing weakness
With regard to “Drive-by shooting victim: Life in Samaria is a game of Russian roulette” (August 31), Ronen Edri rightfully puts the blame directly on the government headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose weak policies and concessions to the Arabs have brought misery and death to our people.
In the process, Netanyahu has emasculated the IDF, so that our soldiers are afraid to tackle and kill those Arabs who would, without hesitation, kill them.
A direct result of this weakness is set out succinctly in the same issue in “National-religious rabbis issue letter of support for Jewish terrorism suspects,” with the rabbis writing: “This is a mark of shame against those who cannot distinguish between the enemy and the beloved, who are cruel to the merciful and merciful to the cruel.”
They were referring to the “recent directives for administrative detention, restrictions and restraining orders that have been issued without trial against many Jewish youths who have worked for the Jewish people and the Land of Israel ” – although blame for Arab deaths has been laid at the youths’ door without any proof. In fact, it is more likely that the deaths were caused by Arabs.
Support the Jewish land and you are a “terrorist.” Call for the destruction of the Jewish land and it is “free speech.”
Edith Ognall, Netanya
Misleading headline
The headline “National religious rabbis issue letter of support for Jewish terrorism suspects” leads the reader to believe that these rabbis support Jewish terrorism, and that Jewish terrorism even exists.
In fact, the rabbis oppose administrative detention without trial for young Jewish youths.
Henry Bronson, Jerusalem
Fresh air
It was like a breath of fresh air to read Amine Ayoub’s understanding that Israel is a great country and Jews have a right to live in it (“Young people in the Middle East must embrace peace,” Comment & Features, August 31).
If only there were more Muslims like him, as Ayaan Hirsi Ali writes in her book Heretic.
(Unfortunately, like others who really want peace, Ali must never reveal her whereabouts lest he be murdered for being an “infidel.”
Nowadays, it’s enough to appreciate Israel to endanger one’s life.) Take care, Mr. Ayoub! I wish you much success in your educating young people and showing up the many lies about Israel and Jews.
Tamar Ginat, Yehud
Change from without?
In reference to “Top cop from another planet “ (Middle Israel, August 28), for me the problem of the Israel Police is not only the top brass, it is the basic police doctrine.
Police here don’t prevent crime – they just come after the crime is committed. They don’t patrol cities – they wait in the station house with air conditioning and fresh coffee until something happens.
Our police force is bureaucratic, with most of the manpower moving papers and filling in forms. You will never see anyone from the top brass in the streets if there is not a TV crew.
The work of a police force is to be on the streets to prevent crime and protect citizens. This is exactly what the Israel Police is not doing.
Can an outsider effect any change? Maybe, but it will require massive changes to a sick system.
David Waintraub, Rishon Lezion
True colors
Martin Sherman writes about the devastating effect that the long drought has had on the Middle East, and on Iran in particular (“Water, not heavy water, is Iran’s desperate need,” Into the Fray, August 28).
Iran has had a tremendous water shortage for many years, and it is affecting the lives of the average Iranian. This could be a plus for Israel because the average person in Iran needs water more than he or she needs a nuclear weapon. Until the scientists of Iran can figure out how to make water, we might be spared from the bomb.
Even more important is the fact that after the recent nuclear deal with Tehran, no Israeli and no person in the world with common sense will ever trust the United States or Europe again for any peace plan of any kind.
Everyone now knows that Europe lusts for business and money at any price, and that the US does not want to fight anywhere for any principle.
So maybe our God has made the need for water much more urgent than working on creating atomic bombs, and has exposed so-called do-gooders for their true colors.
Toby Willig, Jerusalem
Loud and clear
In your August 28 letters section, reader Charles Oren (“The Van Leer controversy”) mentions the verses in the Koran that speak of Allah recognizing the Land of Israel as being designated for the Jews. He also mentions how those trying to go against the will of Allah always fail.
I just went to Google to verify this. Why hasn’t the Foreign Ministry or the Prime Minister’s Office advertised this to the world, loud and clear?
David Rothberg, Jerusalem
Pathetic distortionists
With regard to “Elad haredi schools reach deal over acceptance policy” (August 20), one group that most definitely can be identified as being responsible for the abduction and perversion of our religious values is the benighted educational administrators in Elad, who refused admission to almost 100 religious Sephardi girls.
This shameful discriminatory practice is not only a gross assault on human dignity and decency, it does violence to a multitude of our most basic Jewish precepts. What gravely compounds the gravity of this behavior is that the bizarre admissions policy is predicated on the acceptance of only those students whose fathers do not work full time. Those fathers who have the misfortune of being gainfully employed are therefore confronted by the freakish dilemma of having to choose between a livelihood and what they feel is the appropriate education for their daughters.
By this depreciation of full-time employment, the already fragile economic well-being of the haredi community is threatened by further deterioration, and its oppressive cycle of poverty seems destined to continue.
The annals of Jewish history have always extolled the value of work and its importance to both the individual and society.
Instead of citing this very clear and positive Jewish emphasis and the many examples of Torah notables who did indeed work (even in the most menial of occupations), these pathetic distortionists insist, unfortunately, on defining Torah in the most negative font.
Zev Chamudot, Petah Tikva
CORRECTIONS • Due to an editing error in the September 1 Jerusalem Post, a photo of Hadassah University Medical Center researcher Prof. Benjamin Reubinoff accompanied “Non-invasive test for Gaucher disease developed” on Page 7 instead of “Embryonic stem cells implanted in eye in J’lem” on Page 10. A photo of Dr. Gheona Altarescu, from Shaare Zedek Medical Center’s Medical Genetics Institute (above), should have accompanied the Page 7 article.
We regret the error.
• Unlike what might have been inferred in “Iran’s old-new role in the region” (Comment & Features, August 27), Israel’s capital is, of course, Jerusalem.