By LETTERS TO THE EDITORLetters(photo credit: PIXABAY)Typical EUSusana Terstal and her Middle East peace process (“Peace needs international law and political will,” September 22) are typical of those who have stood in the way of a solution to the Palestinian problem that would work for decades.When will she realize that the two-state camel lies dead in the burning sands of the Middle East, killed not by Israeli homes but by virulent Arab rejectionism and violence against the notion and the people of the Jewish State of Israel.They may think they can revive this dead camel if only they can drag it to that distant oasis called “peace.” They haven’t realized yet that this is not an oasis but a mirage borne out of their fevered refusal to accept it was a non-starter from the beginning.Terstal writes: “The viability of the two-state solution is being eroded through demolitions, confiscations and displacement.”No it is not. It has been eroded by the rejectionist Palestinian double-headed hydra (the PA and Hamas) that thrives on the naïve international contributions that have been feeding the beast for decades based on naïve delusions that it is Jewish homes that are the “obstacles to peace,” and not an obstinate Palestinian terror campaign determined to remove anything Jewish from the Middle East, to be replaced by the Palestine she is trying to promote.For she has not seriously considered that in any Palestine solution we Israelis go to bed with PA President Mahmoud Abbas and wake up in the morning with Hamas and a continuation of the “Palestinian struggle” from more vulnerable borders. She naively thinks that this struggle will end as soon as she creates her Palestine.Tragically, it is organizations like her MEPP that have blocked voices offering rational alternatives to a failed two-state policy. Alternatives to this failed two-state nonsense have always been there. MEPP and others have simply been unwilling to consider them.These people will surely block the upcoming peace plan about to be promoted by the Trump administration for the simple reason that it is not strictly based on the outdated foundation of two-states but will offer an alternative to that unattainable solution.One notices from Terstal’s article her inability to understand that the fault has always been entirely on the Palestinian side. Cure that and you can possibly cure the problem, but Terstal surely knows the problem on the Palestinian side is incurable, so she ignores it and tilts to blame onto Israelis.It’s high time that Susana Terstal, her Middle East Peace Process and others like them face the truth and get real.BARRY SHAWThe writer is the international public diplomacy director at the Israel Institute for Strategic Studies.In Terstal’s article she establishes “international law” that suits her very non-biased views. The same EU that didn’t have a word to say about Arab self-determination while Egypt and Jordan were in control of Gaza and Judea and Samaria for 19 years suddenly realized they had a responsibility to get involved in housing starts in that territory once Israel was in charge.It is good to remind her that when Israel was attacked in 1973, again facing annihilation, no fair and just European nation would allow US planes carrying arms to Israel to land on their territory to refuel.How nice of her to seek a two-state solution. Israel left Gaza and got thousands of rockets as an Arab peace overture. If Terstal ever criticizes Arab rocket fire I am sure she will ask both sides to reduce violence.She says: “The viability of the two-state solution is being eroded through demolitions, confiscations and displacements....” I would suggest the viability is eroded by knifings, shootings, car rammings of Israelis and teaching Arab children to be suicide bombers. Also the fact that the EU, which has suffered many attacks by followers of the Koran, not being able to confront this problem doesn’t help peace anywhere in the world.The EU is antisemitic. They are not as concerned with any human rights violations no matter how horrible. Islamic State did not get a fraction of the condemnation Israel gets. Arab rocket fire, attack tunnels, and threats to annihilate Israel are not worthy of mention by it. The reality is that if the Arabs were replaced by any people not following the Koran, peace would have been achieved long ago. How many conflicts in the world are there where one of the parties is not Islamic?PHILIP BRIEFFJerusalemTerstal does not take into account that it is now 52 years since the Arab countries attacked Israel with intent to destroy her and they themselves were defeated. Those that were most affected by the Arab defeat were the Palestinians.The Oslo accords were set up to help them re-establish themselves,for which they made no effort and still try to kill and maim Jews.These facts have made no impression on Terstal.And that, despite the fact that she is the EU’s special representative for the Middle East peace process! Is she totally ignorant or just prejudiced?I suspect the latter. Israel has leaned over backwards to give the Palestinians land, provide them with work, study at universities and colleges and encourage their children to be educated.We allowed them to pray and administer the site of our holy Temple and they have the temerity to prevent us from going there. In short, they don’t know how lucky they are and it’s about time we deprive them of these privileges and for them to suffer the consequences until they learn how to say “thank You.”EDWIN HOFFENBERGHaifaOi, oi, oiAs a true-blue Australian Jewish parent who still has a taste for Vegemite, is interested about Australian rules football and who sent their children through the Melbourne Jewish day school system, I am proud and delighted with Gil Troy’s superb article about Australian Jewry ( “American Jews should learn from Australia’s Zionist ‘Kanga -Jews,’” September 18).It is the challenge of the Australian Diaspora youth, regardless of the financial burden placed on the parents, to retain their Jewishness. It is their reward for their sacrifice in complete comparison to the diminishing number of Americans who are now assimilated. This abomination unfortunately contains a sprinkling of our own weak-willed American relatives. Our communication and contact with them or their family can be compared to chalk and cheese.Yes there is still hope for their survival while Israel sends their excellent emissaries overseas, similar to my Israeli grandson who after his military service has spent valuable time with Birthright participants in Israel to connect with the Diaspora youth and will complete his mission with an Israeli group to the Mount Scopus School, the largest Jewish educational facility in Australia.I wish he and his fellow Israeli representatives have a successful stay with the Aussies. Kol Hakovod.JACK DAVISJerusalemCamp outIn response to the article on September 15 by Stephen Silver describing Bob Dylan and Louie Kemp’s continued friendship and connection to Judaism, which began at Herzl Camp in Webster Wisconsin, (“He met Bob Dylan at a Jewish camp, and they stayed good friends for 50 years”) I can vouch for the great influence that camp had on me and my family. I could write an article titled, “I met my husband, Ron Belzer, at Herzl Camp and stayed happily married for 56 years.”Coming from Denver and Kansas City, that camp inspired us to become more devout Jews and Zionists!From our experience there, we started keeping kashrut and Shabbat, becoming youth leaders in our communities and we visited Israel as students. We also spent time as counselors in Herzl Camp and worked in Jewish education. My husband and I came on aliyah in 1969 with our two daughters. Fifty years later, we number 45 positive Jews, all living in Israel.From this wonderful experience that I had at Herzl Camp and Tel Yehuda in New York, I feel that these types of summer camps can help encourage the younger Jewish generation in America to identify with their Jewish heritage.There are so many articles about assimilation in America. The Jewish Agency and the American Jewish community should strengthen Zionist youth camps and religious youth camps such as Rama and Moshava.This is where kids can learn about their heritage in a fun way and meet other Jewish children.Scholarships should be provided to give more children this kind of opportunity.Our hope for Jewish continuity in America lies in the young generation.JUDY BELZERKfar SabaUnity now!It is clear that the only way to form a majority government in the Knesset with the current election results is through a national-unity Government of Likud, Blue and White and Yisrael Beytenu.If the three leaders of these parties cannot agree soon on a compromise coalition agreement, then there is the possibility of a third election.Let’s make it clear to the three squabbling leaders, Benjamin Netanyahu, Benny Gantz and Avigdor Liberman, that we, the voters, will not take it any more!If they cannot agree on a government coalition and a third election is called, then we should all refuse to vote.This is giving democracy a bad name, and indicates that a complete overhaul of the Israeli system is needed.JACK COHENBeersheba
