Should there be any surprise that a new Hamas terrorist tunnel was discovered under an UNRWA school in Gaza?
By LETTERS TO THE EDITORLetters(photo credit: REUTERS)RestartRegarding “Israel suffers crushing defeat to Albania,” June 12, I have been waiting for some good news from our “Selection” for quite some time.I decided to play along for the 2018 World Cup qualifiers, knowing full well that the chances that we would rise above Spain and Italy were practically impossible. But the loss to Albania – at home, 3-0 – only proves that we are nothing but a minnow in the big European pond of football.It is time for us to stop giving “band-aid solutions” to our soccer squad. It is time to admit that the way we’ve been doing things hasn’t been working out.If Croatia and Iceland can be successful, why can’t we?MARTIN FRANKLINRishon LezionHear hear I strongly support the prime minister’s call to disband UNRWA, “Netanyahu calls to disband UNRWA and to stop foreign-funded NGOs,” June 12.
This organization perpetuates the Palestinian problem by giving the Palestinians a welfare state from cradle to grave, funded through the UN, largely by US taxpayer money.The fiction that the Palestinians are “refugees” is abetted by the definition used by UNRWA that is unique in the world that includes all descendants of refugees, that is contrary to accepted international law. Also, a refugee is one who has left his country, while most of the Palestinians still live within the borders of Mandatory Palestine (including the PA and Jordan) and consequently are not refugees.In addition, over time, UNRWA has become an almost wholly owned subsidiary of various Palestinian organizations, including Hamas in Gaza. This was recently shown by the discovery of tunnels running from UNRWA-run schools, apart from the fact that UNRWA personnel include Hamas operatives.There can be no “solution” to the current stalemate unless significant changes are made in the status quo, and one of these must be the disbanding of UNRWA, which is part of the institutional anti-Israel bias at the UN which has been criticized strongly by US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley.YA’AKOV BEN MEIRNetanyaSwift actionOnly by chance did I happen to read in Sunday June 12’s paper that “Police arrest woman for disrobing at Western Wall.”Therefore I must say good on the police and the security guards for their swift action to remove this woman from the holy site.Otherwise, I’m afraid that the story would have made it to the front page and would have only added fuel to the long-burning fire of the problems surrounding the holiness of the Western Wall.LELA KLEINNetanya Not just rocketsKudos to arts and entertainment correspondent Hanna Brown for her lovely preview of the 16th Cinema South International Film Festival in Sderot, “Screening down South,” June 12, which began on Monday. As a resident of the southern city, this five-day festival is a lovely opportunity to show to the country that we are not just a city that is defined by rockets.No we are not Cannes, Berlin or Toronto – and certainly not Jerusalem – but we are an up and coming festival that isn’t afraid to dream big.I invite everyone to make the trip down here.DENNIS FREEMANSderot No surprisesThe article about UNRWA discovering Hamas tunnel under Gaza schools takes the UNRWA condemnation of Hamas at its word, without reporting that the UNRWA school teachers’ union and workers ‘union of UNRWA in Gaza have been under the control of Hamas since 1999.As the research and films of the Center for Near East Policy research have shown, the result of Hamas domination of UNRWA in Gaza is that UNRWA schools in Gaza conduct military training activities in coordination with Hamas.At no time has UNRWA ever demanded that the UNRWA teachers’ union or the UNRWA workers’ union dismiss UNRWA employees affiliated with Hamas.Should there be any surprise that a new Hamas terrorist tunnel was discovered under an UNRWA school in Gaza?BATYAH RUBASHKINJerusalemCaught up Regarding “PA official gives big donation to Rambam,” June 12, I really must believe that we are not walking in the Messiah’s footsteps anymore. No, we have caught up to him and grabbed the back of his cloak. The Palestinian Authority, which refuses to recognize the State of Israel as the Jewish state, allows thousands of the residents under its jurisdiction to obtain medical care in Israeli hospitals every year.But, as far as I can remember, this is the first time that any official PA representative has actually donated money to an Israeli medical institution.The only sad part about this story is that this gentleman must remain anonymous. Also, when he goes back to the Palestinian territories he won’t be able to tell anyone of the wonderful things that the Rambam Medical Center is doing for fear that the authorities will catch on to his “crimes” of helping the Jewish state.But while he may not be able to communicate in words the extraordinary treatment he received, one can only hope that the Palestinian public will see the light radiating from his face, and of the hundreds of other Palestinians who will no doubt benefit from the new recovery room in the hospital’s pediatric oncology department, and realize that the Jewish people are here to help and make the world a better place.AVI COHENTalmonIt’s not size Never before in my life had I heard of the country Nauru, “Nauru’s president welcomed,” June 12. After doing a bit of research, I found out that it is the smallest state in the South Pacific Ocean and it is the third smallest state by area in the world, behind only the Vatican and Monaco.But it’s not size that matters. As presidential correspondent Greer Fay Cashman writes: “Nauru is Israel’s most unconditional and uncritical friend, invariably voting for and with Israel in every public forum in which they are both members – including the United Nations.” They get one vote in the UN General Assembly just as China, India and Indonesia do.KYLE DANIELSBrooklynNew shirtKudos, thanks and congratulations to The Jerusalem Post for being instrumental in causing Sears to discontinue the sale of “Free Palestine” and “End Israel Occupation” and other disgusting anti-Israel T- shirts. Hopefully, the Post will also continue using its journalistic best efforts to go after other major retailers that are still selling these offensive, bigoted, racist anti-Israeli T-shirts.Enlightening all Jewish and Christian-Zionist organizations to cease buying from retail giants will go a long way in convincing them that it is economically and morally detrimental for them to stock and sell these offensive T-shirts.We are not impressed by their defense that they also sell Israeli T-shirts. There is no moral equivalence.Israelis are not terrorists, do not stab innocent men, women and children, do not teach their children to hate and kill and, most assuredly, do not incite violence.LEONARD KAHNZichron Yaakov
