Readers respond to the latest Jerusalem Post Articles.
By LETTERS TO THE EDITORLetters(photo credit: REUTERS)Even the UN knowsWith regard to your September 2 news item “Ex-IDF general calls Israel ‘world champion of occupation,’” and to reader Judy Bamberger’s letter of August 31 (“Unified policies”), I would very much like to know which international law Israel is breaching, and whom we are occupying.As Jews, Ms. Bamberger and Maj.-Gen. (res.) Gadi Shamni should spend more time studying the history of Israel – and I don’t mean only the Bible. I am also tired of hearing from our own government that Judea and Samaria (the so-called West Bank) are disputed territory, and reading about the UN secretary-general’s constant spewing about our “illegal settlements.”There is no dispute about the rights of the Jewish people to all the territory. We have as much rights to the land as the Arab nations have to theirs – all created after World War I and ratified by the League of Nations, and even by the UN in its charter. Ban Ki-moon simply should go to his archives and open a copy of the Palestine Mandate.We cannot be occupiers of land that belongs to us and never, ever belonged to the “Palestinian people,” which, according to the Arabs themselves, was created to get rid of the Jews.I would also recommend that Education Minister Naftali Bennett include in the curriculum at state schools material on the Palestine Mandate, and not just on the Balfour Declaration, which, on its own, had no legal significance until it was made part of the mandate.EDMUND JONAHRishon LezionReader Judy Bamberger of O’Connor, Australia, is apparently an expert on Israel, and voices great concern for the plight of the Palestinian people.She states that America is a “co-enabler of Israel’s occupation of another people.” Since America also supports Australia, I wonder if she would apply the same logic to Australia’s “occupation” of the Aborigines, or maybe also the Maoris of New Zealand and the native peoples of North America. Would she be willing to give up the land she occupies? Ms. Bamberger also states that Israel’s “occupation” is “illegal and immoral.” Even the US State Department, not known for its support of Israel, has changed its designation of Israeli settlements, no longer calling them “illegal.”US diplomats realize that the legal basis for Israel as a Jewish state throughout all the former land of the British Mandate of Palestine is based on international law, derived from the Balfour Declaration of 1917, which was included in the Treaties of San Remo and Sevres after World War I. This stance was adopted by the League of Nations and affirmed by the UN.No Arab state in Palestine was mentioned in these documents.In fact, there has never been a Palestinian state – unless Ms.Bamberger knows something the rest of us don’t.Finally, she states that “Israel’s...delegitimization throughout the world” is “self-inflicted.” She is wrong also about this. She and others who believe this are the ones who are actively delegitimizing Israel.YAAKOV BEN-MEIRNetanya A different takeIn reply to Gil Hoffman’s soppy piece about how bereft he is on account of his children’s return to school (“The saddest day of the year,” September 1), here’s my daughter’s Facebook take, which accompanied a picture of her two young daughters on their first day of school: “Good riddance!”MIKE GOLDModi’in PC plague Michael Freund’s column on the plague of political correctness currently afflicting Princeton University (“The Princeton ‘man ban,’” Fundamentally Freund, September 1) reminded me of the 1980s, when what was then known as the “Loony Left” took control of a number of English local authorities, including the Manchester City Council.In those days, many of us referred to the city as the Democratic People’s Republic of Personchester.Some inventive genius must now produce a new, politically correct name for Princeton, which I believe to be a contraction of “prince” and “town,” and clearly the product of sexist prejudice against princesses.LESLIE PORTNOYNetanya Voting for Trump...As a Jew, I cringe when I read that Jewish values dictate we not vote for Donald Trump.Trump is the only way we can possibly save this republic. The Jewish-values argument is really about the embedded identity of Ashkenazi American Jews with the Democratic Party.The issues have changed since our parents’ generation, but the majority of Ashkenazi Jews whose grandparents arrived here as socialists and communists – however well this country has treated them financially and socially – are still stuck in this identity.Long before Trump, these people were demonizing the Republican Party to the point where, today, their heads explode at the thought of Trump. But listen to his speeches, not to what others say about him, which is mostly lies, like the demonization of Israel.Trump supporters are a secret legion that will come out and vote for him, even while the polls keep predicting what the other side wants. A few of us stood out on a freeway overpass with a big Trump sign for a few hours. We got thousands of honks and thumbs up. Yes, here in California’s Bay Area!THYME S. SIEGELWalnut Creek, California My religious Christian patients ask me: Why do so many Jews who care about Israel vote Democratic?It is estimated that Hillary Clinton will receive 70 percent of the Jewish vote in spite of her support for the Iran deal; for giving money to Iran, which supports terrorism; and for receiving millions for the Clinton Foundation from Arab leaders. Donald Trump, meanwhile, is a great friend of Israel, probably the most pro-Israel of any recent presidential candidate, and has Jewish grandchildren.I don’t have an answer for them.JEROME S. REICHMiamiThe writer is a physician.Forget policy or tonality questions.What Donald Trump demonstrated in Mexico last week is, more than anything else, that he’s capable of performing the role.As with Ronald Reagan and many other presidents, there are powers behind the scenes that keep the American ship steady, so isn’t performing the most important skill set?IAN KEOUGHToronto...or a beauty queenIt seems quite obvious that neither Donald Trump nor Hillary Clinton has captured any mass amount of voters with their rhetoric and charisma. Quite the opposite. The inability of such a huge country to be able to come up with candidates who are true personalities on whom the American people (although differing in political views) can be proud of is puzzling.I dare suggest to both parties that they annul the results of their conventions and begin the process over again. However, this would be self-defeating, because it would allow President Barack Obama to remain in office for a much longer time, and it’s time for him to go.I’m afraid the result will be as if the US ran a contest to choose its beauty queen, and that after a lengthy pageant, no one won.YOSEF TUCKERJerusalem Aliya supplementWhat a beautiful picture on the cover of your “Aliya Post” supplement (August 26). But did you have to select the woman wearing a cross as your poster person?AZRIEL HEUMANGinot Shomron The editor of the supplement responds: We could have practiced greater due diligence. We apologize if people took offense.
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