November 30: Strange bag-lady

Must Israel remain in the Dark Ages concerning environmental issues?

By LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Letters (photo credit: REUTERS)
Letters
(photo credit: REUTERS)
Strange bag-lady
Sir, – Can we suspect a conflict of interest in the decision to postpone the banning of free plastic bags in supermarkets (“Bill banning free plastic bags to be shelved,” November 27)? Must Israel remain in the Dark Ages concerning environmental issues? But there is no reason for the implementation of this ban to be complex as claims the person who unfortunately replaced the chairman of the Internal Affairs and Environment Committee.
There does not have to be the added complication of downloading coupons for these bags from one`s electricity bill.
Supermarkets can simply supply attractive cloth bags with their own logo and remove the plastic bag dispensers.
For many years, I have returned from trips to the UK with these hard-wearing bags.
But when I take them to supermarkets here in Haifa, I am the only customer not grabbing handfuls of plastic bags, and I get strange looks from the cashiers who attempt to wrap every item in a separate bag.
On one occasion, when the cashier refused to put my cloth bags in the delivery crates I threatened to leave all my shopping at the check-out (before paying of course).
In my regular supermarket I am known as that strange bag-lady.
This country is considered sophisticated and developed, but somewhere in our leadership there are people who have an interest in continuing the environmental damage of using huge quantities of non-biodegradable plastic.
WENDY BLUMFIELD
Haifa
A realist
Sir, – In regards to the MKs on the Left who denounced Mayor Shimoni’s action (“Ashkelon mayor halts construction by Arab workers,” November 20) as being undemocratic and racist, it clearly shows that they do not have an understanding of democracy.
To preserve democracy a state must protect its citizens through the Rule of Law. In turn, the citizens are responsible to abide by the laws of the state.
To support the Rule of Law there must be consequences for breaking it.
Israel is caught on the horns of a dilemma. It is sharing its land with a people, of which there is a significant percentage of people who do not value democracy, seek to thwart peace through criminal violence against law-abiding citizens, which violates the Rule of Law, and have no allegiance to the state.
Along comes Mayor Shimoni.
He is doing his job in assessing the current reality of increased terrorist attacks and is taking precautions to keep his community safe.
He is not a racist, he is a realist.
ELISHEVA BORENSON
Jerusalem
About time
Sir, – In regards to the article “Interior Ministry to deport wife of Har Nof terrorist,” (November 27), the author reports that the wife of one of the terrorists involved in the Jerusalem syangogue massacre will be forced to leave the country and forfeit all future monetary and social benefits from the state.
It’s about time for this to happen.
Hopefully, it will make any future terrorists think twice before committing an attack and realize how this will affect their family members.
It makes no sense for the terrorists’ family members to continue receiving social benefits from the State.
Let us hope that this new measure will deter many others to refrain from terror attacks.
HANNAH SONDHELM
Jerusalem
Forest for the trees
Sir, – The horrifying tragedy of the Jerusalem synagogue massacre in Har Nof is but the latest in a string of murderous attacks whose victims, other than security officers, have been haredim – members of diverse sects ranging from adherents of the extreme Hassidic Toldos Aharon to adherents of the extreme Lithuanian Brisk tradition.
Haredim typically explain these horrors in spiritual terms that seem increasingly bizarre to the normative mind.
The bereaved widow of Rabbi Mosheh Twersky (“Widow of Rabbi Twersky blames internal haredi discord for synagogue attack,” November 27) sees the cause of the massacre as the dispute within the insular extreme Lithuanian yeshivish world – between the adherents of Rabbi Aharon Leib Steinman and Rabbi Shmuel Auerbach – differences that require a microscope and tweezer to parse for those of us that not part of that community.
One might think that Mrs.
Twersky would focus on the perennial hatred between the Yeshivish and Hassidic communities, or perhaps on the sometimes loathing and disdain both groups have toward their Sephardi brothers and sisters or, perish the thought, on the willful disenfranchisement of all of these groups from the body of Israel and its security needs.
But, no, such is the haredi world these days.
It is mired in picayune sectarian nonsense that that it sees neither the forest nor the trees.
JJ GROSS
Jerusalem
Level the field
Sir, – With all the endless lies about Jews defiling the Temple Mount and Israels’ supposed plans to destroy the site, the ramifications of such inflammatory talk cannot be ignored.
As long as our partners for a peace deal continue to engage in this behavior and the end result appears to be enabling the further radicalization of Palestinian youth pushing them to commit the slate of horrible attacks that have occured recently in Jerusalem and elsewhere, perhaps Israel should serve indictments of incitement to those Palestinian officials involved.
I am straight out referring to PA President Mahmoud Abbas, legislator Hanan Ashrawi and chief negotiatior Saeb Erekat. If they wish to threaten taking our leaders both military and civilian to the International Criminal Court then perhaps we should play the same game.
Sometimes one must get down to the level of one’s enemies and fight them on the same ground in order to succeed.
B WEINSTEIN
Netanya
Expose the truth
Sir, – In 1913 the South African government legislated that 87 percent of the land and it’s mineral wealth would be allocated to the white population, which comprised less than 10% of the population at the time.
The was the root of South Africa’s apartheid.
The Middle East comprises approximately 13 million square kilometers and is home to more than 400 million people, the vast majority of which being Arabs. Jews comprise only six million of that population, yet they can not live in more than 96% of the territory – this as a result of legislation enacted by Arab states.
It is time that the reality of who is practicing apartheid in the Middle East is exposed for what it is.
CHONI KAHN
Shoham
Show a cold face
Sir, – In regards to the rioting in Ferguson, Missouri, this past week (“Misouri governor orders more troops to Ferguson after night of violent riots,” November 26), I have some advice for President Barack Obama.
Obama is inciting rioting in Ferguson, why? Obama talks of their anger in such sympathetic tones, that when he appeals to the rioters not to hurt others and not to damage property and not to violate laws – he’s actually fanning the flames. I believe that it’s clear that Obama agrees with the rioters on their goals, just not their methods. To stop rioting, Obama should show sympathy to the police and a cold face to the rioters.
GERALD ARANOFF
Bnei Brak