August 11: Let's read that again

What I am really saying is that people care enough about your newspaper to read what you actually print.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
letters 88 (photo credit: Courtesy)
letters 88
(photo credit: Courtesy)
Let's read that again Sir, - Your sub-editor may have inadvertently hit the nail on the head when he or she referred to "receivership of the presidential Medal of Freedom" ("A medal not worth AIPAC's mettle," Rich Cohen, August 10). In correct English, "receivership" is a stage in the bankruptcy process; however, the award to former president of Ireland Mary Robinson makes the sub-heading accurate. Lest you dismiss this as pedantic nit-picking, what I am really saying is that people care enough about your newspaper to read what you actually print. It was also a nice touch to accompany Michelle Mazel's article on the same page with a photograph of a "No Photography" sign ("Targeting the Israeli ambassador in Cairo: What else is new?" (August 10). MERVYN DOOBOV Jerusalem Wise move? Sir, - Re "Netanyahu: Gaza, Samaria pullout was a mistake that won't be repeated" (August 10): Kadima Party head Tzipi Livni disagrees with Prime Minister Netanyahu that the Gaza pullout was a mistake, saying that removing the settlements was the correct move historically and security-wise. Security-wise? We now have the largest terrorist base in the Mideast - created by the withdrawal. We have a Hamas base controlled by Iran. Thousands of missiles have been fired since the withdrawal, making the lives of Israeli citizens a living hell. In addition, the lives of the expellees have been destroyed. As for historically, the history surrounding Israeli concessions and gestures clearly shows gross abuse of them by the other side. BARBARA GINSBERG Ma'aleh Adumim ICRC clarifies PIERRE WETTACH Head of ICRC Delegation Israel Occupied & Autonomous Territories Tel Aviv Welcome history lesson Sir, - Bravo to Lenny Ben-David ("The Shepherd Hotel in Jerusalem," August 7). By reviewing, succinctly and accurately, the Arabs' lamentable record of murderous hostility to the Jewish presence in Eretz Yisrael since 1920, Ben-David reminded the reader that, fundamentally, Arabs have never really acknowledged responsibility for their own actions. For many of today's apologists for the chaos amongst the Palestinian Arab population, this recapitulation of a century of constant hatred and anti-Jewish mayhem was a much-needed corrective. YITZCHAK BEN-SHMUEL Modi'in Open to destruction... Sir, - "Spain funds 'summer camp' for foreign volunteers to rebuild demolished illegal Palestinian homes" (August 10) was extraordinary. Spain has openly declared her hostility against the State of Israel by funding foreign volunteers to rebuild demolished illegal Palestinian homes. The legality of demolition must come under the jurisdiction of Israel's courts; isn't a foreign government which works to send law-breakers into another country to further what it thinks is its own interest at war with that country? It is, moreover, beyond belief that an Israeli citizen should be working with foreign governments like Spain's. Jeff Halper is a well-known radical. In most countries, his actions would be called treason. A country dare not let itself be so open to destruction from within and without. TOBY WILLIG Jerusalem Sir, - If the Spanish government wishes to meddle in internal Israeli matters, I believe the Israeli government should do the same. Let it find an equally worthy project sponsored by the Basque separatist group, ETA, and provide funding for it. One can only imagine the worldwide outcry. MICHAEL D. HIRSCH Kochav Ya'ir ...and to speculation Sir, - In writing about Shlomo Slonim, the last survivor of the 1929 Hebron massacre who was one year old at the time, your news feature "80 years on, the scars still show" (August 10) noted that "He has no memory of the events, of course." But on June 29, a headline on The Jerusalem Post's Health page reported that according to new research,"Babies remember traumatic events for years." So who's to say? MARK L. LEVINSON Herzliya Object of ridicule Sir, - "Outrage at bid to try S. African IDF soldiers for war crimes " (August 7) angered me tremendously. As a recent oleh from S. Africa, I am well aware of the antics of Ronnie Kasrils, a committed communist. Born Jewish he may be, but the closest he has ever been to "being Jewish" is the mohel's knife. His favorite headgear is the keffiyeh, which he always dons when leading Muslim community marches against Jewish gatherings and premises. He is the laughingstock of the Jewish community in SA, and has been disowned by members of his own family. So this recent campaign of his, the so-called Gaza Docket, will fizzle out like all his previous "Not in my Name" attempts. BENNIE KATZMAN Tel Mond Simpler times Sir, - In addition to reading your reporters' enlightening and thought-provoking - if sometimes infuriating - analyses representing the entire spectrum of politics in Israel, it is sometimes a pleasure to escape from everyday reality and read a wonderful blend of nostalgia, wit and fine writing such as Aryeh Dean Cohen's "Best car on the block," (UpFront, July 31). Cohen's essay vividly painted a picture of simpler, more innocent times and was a delight. Thank you for featuring consistently excellent writers and fascinating, enjoyable reading. N .COHEN Jerusalem