"What has happened to Netanyahu? If he can’t take the heat he should get out of the kitchen."
By JERUSALEM POST READERSSurrendering again Sir, – I absolutely agree with Martin Sherman’s very clear and astute column “Surrendering sovereignty” (Into the Fray, December 2).What has happened to Prime Minister Netanyahu’s nerve? If he can’t take the heat he should get out of the kitchen.Time and again Netanyahu caves in to Muslim threats and reneges on decisions. Has he not the courage of his convictions? It’s bad enough that the Waqf runs the Temple Mount. But to say that renovating the Mughrabi Bridge would change the status quo while the Palestinians destroy as many Jewish relics as they can in an effort to deny the Jewish people’s connection with the area is outrageous! The government should pressure Netanyahu to stick to his original decision about the bridge and get on with the job.Otherwise, he will lose all credibility among his voters in the next election.JUDY PRAGER Petah TikvaSir, – Bending over backwards to appease both friends and enemies almost always overrides selfrespect and even self-interest.Israel canceled the Lavi fighter jet and military sales to China because of US objections. The symbol of Magen David Adom was changed to placate the International Red Cross. The Israeli government and Supreme Court both failed to stop the Waqf from destroying precious Jewish antiquities on the Temple Mount.Indeed, the entire “peace process,” with its land-for-peace agenda is, in essence, a surrender of sovereignty.The Mughrabi Bridge issue is just the latest example of this shameful behavior. Basically, Israel delegitimizes itself.ZVI NOVEMBERJerusalem
Sir, – Prime Minister Netanyahu again caved in to outside demands that are against our interests (“Israel releases PA tax funds,” December 1).At the minimum, legitimate expenses that we incur because of actions by the Palestinians should have been deducted from the transfer. These would include repairs and replacements caused by the indiscriminate rocketing of cities that border the Gaza Strip; court costs for adjudicating captured terrorists; and the $5,000 that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has promised to pay to every released terrorist.The Palestinians have to realize that there is a cost associated with their actions.BILL WEBER JerusalemLife out of tragedy Sir, – Regarding “On the road to recovery” (Environment, December 2), perhaps the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, together with the Jewish National Fund, could institute a saplingremoval program between now and Tu Bishvat.They could use school children, as well as environmentally aware people who traditionally go out and plant trees. The saplings could be collected, placed in pots and used for reforestation in other locations in coming years.HARRY ORENSTEINElazarOn the offensiveSir, – Regarding “Knesset forms caucus to combat anti-Semitism” (December 1), this action is too little, but not too late.A world-wide Jewish movement should have been created a long time ago to fight this old phenomenon.The only organization that tries to do something about it is the Anti-Defamation League, although its activities seem mainly limited to tracking the number of anti-Semitic incidents.It is high time to create a global fund to combat this scourge.Such counter-propaganda should be aggressive rather than defensive; it should aim at those who attack us. If it it necessary to pay writers for pro-Israel and pro-Jewish articles, so be it! It is not immoral to pay for spreading the truth.LEO COOPERMelbourne, AustraliaCould/couldn’t work Sir, – I was very pleased to read Jonathan Rosen’s “Back to unilateralism” (Inside Out, December 1).There are policies we need to engage in for the good of our nation. One is the withdrawal of Jewish/Israeli civilians from most of Judea and Samaria. This time the IDF should be left in place to ensure that the Gaza and South Lebanon experiences are not repeated.Without the need to protect a large civilian population, the IDF could concentrate on the prevention of hostile activities against the State of Israel. This would mean a lower level of daily encounters with rank and file Palestinians, and therefore less irritation, which could in turn reduce Palestinian hostility to Israel, and even possibly stimulate a true dialogue leading to coexistence.YORAM GETZLERMoshav Aminadav
Sir, – I often wonder if obfuscation is the property of the just the Left. The reality is, of course, that it is not, but the Left has pretty much perfected it. Case in point: Jonathan Rosen.Lack of merits aside, since it has already worked out so well twice before, Rosen calls for a return to “internationally-sanctioned borders,” which means, of course, the 1949 armistice lines.So there you have it: capitulation before negotiations. What a brilliant strategy! Won’t our adversaries be surprised! YISRAEL GUTTMAN Jerusalem Not from Peace Now Sir, – Jeremy Sharon’s article “Price-tag militant rearrested for making death threats” (November 29) contains a false statement.The e-mail death threat I published was not forwarded to me by a Peace Now employee. I received it from a different source.It is important that no Peace Now employee be blamed for my publication of this death threat.RICHARD SILVERSTEINSeattleEngaging haredimSir, – Regarding “Yad Vashem and the Haredim” (Comment & Features, November 29), Yad Vashem works with various representatives of the haredi world in its numerous activities, including tours of the museums, educational activities, the production of curricula, seminars, commemoration events and online resources.In the past years, sincere and productive dialogue between Yad Vashem and the leadership of haredi Jewry in Israel and the United States has resulted in genuine partnerships with, for example, the Belz community in Israel, and productive educational activity with the Bais Yaacov and other haredi educational systems, to name just a few.Indeed, since the opening of the Holocaust History Museum in 2005, the number of haredi visitors to Yad Vashem has skyrocketed.Just this summer, hundreds of haredi educators attended seminars and tours at Yad Vashem.Yad Vashem strives, in all its myriad activities, to present the story of the Jewish people during the Shoah in all its complexity and variety, with a special emphasis on spiritual heroism.The Jewish people, then as today, is comprised of many types of Jews, all of whom find expression in the Holocaust History Museum and other work of Yad Vashem. I invite the Post’s readers to come and visit the museum and experience it for themselves.IRIS ROSENBERGJerusalem The writer is spokesperson for Yad VashemCORRECTIONSThe photograph accompanying “Fayyad: ‘Unity and nonviolence’ requisites for statehood” (December 4) was taken by Michael Friedson of The Media Line, and not as reported.In “Ambassador Prosor slam’s UN’s ‘Day of Solidarity with the Palestinians’” (December 1), Prosor should have been quoted as saying that the pro-Palestinian presentations at the UN showed “a distorted and partial version of history,” and not as reported.