Letters to the Editor: Corbyn’s cronies

Hamas is an acronym for Islamic Resistance Movement – that is the group he supports among the Palestinian Arabs.

By LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Letters (photo credit: REUTERS)
Letters
(photo credit: REUTERS)
Corbyn’s cronies
With Jeremy Corbyn having gained the leadership of the Labor Party (“Critic of Israel Corbyn wins UK Labor Party race,” September 13), I think it is time he explained his “friendship” with the likes of the terrorist Hamas organization.
Hamas is an acronym for Islamic Resistance Movement – that is the group he supports among the Palestinian Arabs.
Is it the Palestinian leadership that denigrates and suppresses women, the one that throws gays off rooftops (or has them flee next door to gay-friendly Israel – 300 in the past months, and counting), the one that denies free speech and free media to its citizens, much less freedom of religion? Or is it the one in the Gaza Strip, run by an Islamist regime that calls for the annihilation of Jews worldwide (Article 7 of its charter) and invokes jihad against the democratic Jewish state of Israel (36 times in that same charter)?
ELLIOT DAVIS Kilmarnock, Scotland
MK from Chelm
With regard to “MK proposes bill to keep boycotters from Israel” (September 13), if we had regional representation (which, unfortunately, we do not), I would assume that this MK, Bayit Yehudi’s Yinon Magal, represented Chelm.
There are people who swear they will never have anything to do with Israel. Does the Knesset need to spend time passing a law to ensure that if by some remote chance one of these people actually does want to come here, we won’t let him in?
NAOMI SANDLER Jerusalem
Irresponsible headline
Your front-page lead headline “Terrorist cell behind Duma arson ‘goes way beyond price-tag activists’” of September 11 – on the eve of the new year – was highly irresponsible and very upsetting.
When was it proved that Jews were responsible for the fatal arson attack at Duma? In fact, serious doubts have been raised, including the possibility that it was a village feud.
Your headline is a libel against the Jews, and it will be repeated globally – Sky News and other media outlets read out headlines from the world’s newspapers, including The Jerusalem Post.
Shame on you!
LYNETTE ORDMAN Netanya
Acts of God
Scientists cannot explain the phenomenon of the recent dust storm (“Researcher stumped as dust storm persists for third day,” September 11).
I assume this means that the dust storm did not actually happen.
After all, except possibly for Orthodox Jewish scientists, science cannot admit to a Being who created the world out of nothing and brings us nature’s phenomena.
And now scientists cannot admit that perhaps God is behind the mysterious dust storm.
I must be crazy, but I think our Torah actually tells us why. In Deuteronomy 28:24, describing the curses that will befall the Jewish people for not observing His Torah, God tells that us He will rain down upon us the dirt and dust from the heavens.
Isn’t that a bit ridiculous? Who ever saw anything like that?
AVRAHAM FRIEDMAN Ganei Modi’in
Nose for dishonesty
I have seen several photographs of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu taken while he was speaking to political and religious leaders during last week’s visit to the UK, in addition to that accompanying your news item “PM: We need pact to preserve Jewish Israel” (September 11). Is it my imagination, or does his nose grow longer each time he says something ?
STANLEY CANNING Kfar Hamaccabi
Ashamed of Israel
Israel thanks China for saving Jews during the Holocaust (“Shanghai opens park to honor its 20,000 Jewish Holocaust refugees,” September 11). That historical event took place before the rise of the People’s Republic of China.
Israel now turns its back on Tibetans, who are not permitted to practice their religion, who are not permitted free speech, who cannot work or travel without permission from their Chinese rulers, and who, unlike Israelis, are not permitted to have their own country. Apparently, there is too much to gain through commerce with China, and too little to gain (and too much to lose) by helping the Tibetans.
As a Jew, I am ashamed of Israel.
STEVEN K. ROSS New York
Knives and the law
With regard to “Police officers removed, reassigned following pride parade stabbing investigation” (September 7), what the public does not know – and should know – is that the law against carrying dangerous knives in public has a major lacuna, as well as serious enforcement problems.
If a stabbing has not yet taken place, the existing law does not allow police to conduct a body search or use a special device to check a suspicious person without getting a search warrant from a judge. This must be done for each individual. Obviously, therefore, police had no power to check anyone at the Gay Pride Parade before the stabbings took place.
Each year, many people lose their lives in knifings, and thousands more are wounded, because the police are powerless to get such weapons off the street. There are, no doubt, grounds for disciplining the policemen at the parade, but to do so without acknowledging these issues will do nothing to save the dozens of lives lost each year.
DAVID GOSHEN Kiryat Ono
Losing our cars
The world is filling up with cars.
Israel is no different. Perforce, parking lots are getting bigger and bigger, and it is becoming harder and harder to find where you left your car.
Can someone in this start-up nation devise a key that incorporates a small screen with a compass arrow that points you in the direction of your vehicle? LEON BENNETT Netanya
Old City crooks
I just want to warn tourists about merchants in the Old City of Jerusalem.
I spent my whole life wanting to visit Israel, and this past April my wish came true. I spent 12 days in your country and had an amazing time, with full intentions of coming back next year.
On returning home, however, I found a charge on my Visa card for $837, and right away notified my bank, which canceled the charge. The charge was from a company called Hasanyan. Later, the company notified the bank that it had made a mistake, that it should have been a charge for NIS 650, and not in US dollars. Realistically, though, it should have been for only NIS 65, for the shawl I bought for my daughter.
This establishment is operated by two brothers who are very smooth and confuse the client.
Needless to say, I don’t think I will be returning to Israel this year, as I visited several places in Europe during my month-long vacation without any problem.
I think people should be warned about the merchants in Jerusalem’s Old City, and then pay cash. I have heard more negative stories about the use of credit cards there since returning home. I wish I had known – I still would have gone to Israel, but I would have been a lot more careful.
Your Ministry of Tourism should warn people visiting your beautiful country that some merchants in the Old City are crooks.
RICHARD GILKER Chelsea, Quebec
Wishes from afar
A happy Rosh Hashana! We wish you all the best in the New Year! We stand by you – the Jews and Israel – 100 percent. We are Jew-lovers! We oppose the Iran agreement 100%. We will fight for Jews and Israel in the ongoing doomsday war against Islam! Happy New Year and best of luck!
JACOB KLARSKOV ANDERSEN Hedehusene, Denmark