An election-year advantage
US President Biden’s stiff-necked approach toward the war in Gaza is a reflection of the anti-Israel arguments presented by leftist intellectuals throughout the world (“Biden: Gaza policy to change unless IDF protects Gaza civilians,” April 5). The accusations that Israel has, both currently and in the past, used food as a weapon are increasingly capturing the headlines, and the president prefers to accept the charges rather than listen to rebuttals or clarifications.
Objectively speaking, the evidence presented from the early days of the war, though contextually troubling, is not insignificant. Israeli leaders issued threats that, in hindsight, might have been a bit irresponsible. Then-energy and infrastructure minister Israel Katz, for example, announced that he had ordered water, electricity, and fuel to be cut off. Later on that same day, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant demanded a “complete siege” of Gaza, including a blockade of food supplies. Several weeks later, the prime minister issued a directive not to permit into Gaza any humanitarian assistance, including food and medicine.
Things, needless to say, have changed over the last half-year and saber-rattling has proven to be not only ineffective but counterproductive. Israel is being forced to repeatedly defend itself, resulting in a weakened position with regard to the release of the hostages.
You really can’t blame the president for taking advantage of what he perceives to be an election-year advantage. Prime Minister Netanyahu, no doubt, would have done the same.
BARRY NEWMAN
Ginot Shomron
Climate catastrophe
As stated in “‘Humbling, and a bit worrying’” (April 7), “last year’s sudden spike in global temperatures blew far beyond what statistical climate models had predicted,” and there are “clear signs of a planet being pushed to its limits.” The frequency and severity of heatwaves, droughts, wildfires, storms, and floods have recently significantly increased.
Everything possible must be done to avert a climate catastrophe. Most important is a major reduction in meat and dairy production, the major cause of climate threats, because they involve the emission from cows of methane, a very potent greenhouse gas, and massive deforestation to create land for grazing and growing feed crops for animals. Because over 40% of the world’s ice-free land is now used for animal-based agriculture, there has been a reduction from six trillion trees to three trillion. Largely because of this reduction, atmospheric CO2, which was 285 parts per million (ppm) at the start of the industrial revolution, has reached 420 ppm, far above the 350 ppm that climate experts think is a threshold for climate safety, and it has been increasing by 2-3 pm annually.
Major shifts to plant-based diets are essential so that the vast areas now used for animal-based agriculture can be reforested, resulting in the sequestering of much atmospheric CO2, reducing it to a much safer level. Such shifts would help leave a habitable, healthy, environmentally sustainable world for future generations.
They would also be consistent with basic Jewish teachings on health, compassion, environmental sustainability, resource conservation, and reducing hunger. They are much easier today because of the abundance of delicious, nutritious plant-based substitutes.RICHARD H. SCHWARTZ
Shoresh
Shameful episode
I have read and re-read “Prosecution: Ex-top PM aide in violation of witness deal” (April 9) on the never-ending saga of the prosecution of our prime minister, and I still cannot get my head around the maze of jurisprudential contortions and the intricate web of brazen prevarications which surround this shameful episode in the history of legal politicking.
How much of the public’s money has been thrown away? How many man-hours on the timesheets of expensive lawyers have been expended, and all of this just in order to satisfy the obsession of certain sections of the political arena, who have failed in the democratic process required to bring down the government, and by fair means or foul, have gone on a fishing expedition to try to find something, indeed anything, to stick on the prime minister.
As you have shown in your article, Shlomo Filber is an unreliable witness by all accounts; yet he has been the prosecution’s main witness. The court has made it quite clear to the parties that it sees no substance in the charge of bribery and “recommends” that the chief prosecutor withdraw the charge. But, despite the fact that their case is empty and hopeless, they continue to spend your money and mine and hold the prime minister hostage to their obsessive tomfoolery.
I just wonder if the final step in this scandalous chain of foolishness might well be a private prosecution filed by Prime Minister Netanyahu personally against former deputy attorney-general Dina Zilber and her cohorts for the enormous damage caused to him and his family by this whole outrage.
LAURENCE BECKER
Jerusalem
The usual spate
Regarding “Palestinians want vote on full UN membership this month” (April 2): This is what the future holds in store for Israel and the Palestinians. Sooner or later, they will get their so-called demilitarized Palestinian state. Of course, their primary objective will be to arm themselves by hook or by crook, ignoring the socioeconomic plight of their citizens.
Tunnel-building will be a main national objective. It will take about a decade before they consider themselves ready for the all-out war they so desperately desire. In the meantime, there will be the usual spate of bombings, knifings, drive-by shootings, and hostage-taking. Israel will, of course, prepare itself for the war that we don’t want but to which we are destined. Thousands will be killed. The so-called international community will make urgent calls for a ceasefire, and so-on and so-on.
All we can do is be fully prepared.
YIGAL HOROWITZ
Beersheba
A free hand
The fact that many of the terrorists involved in the Hamas massacre, including Hamas head honcho Yahya Sinwar, were released in a hostage deal for Gilad Schalit should surely be a lesson that releasing terrorists from prison only brings more deaths to our people (“Hamas terrorists killed in Shifa, some from Schalit deal,” March 31).
The government must allow the IDF a free hand to deal with Hamas until the terrorist organization is totally destroyed. It can only be achieved when our own people are considered before enemy civilians. And let us be quite clear on this point: Not only did the Gazans vote for Hamas but many actually helped it in the October 7 massacres.
The world has never cared about our suffering, and it is up to us to look out for our own before all else. The mounting deaths of our soldiers is a crime that should never have happened, and was caused mainly by the greater consideration we have shown for Gazans than for our own soldiers. This must stop.
Something else that must stop is allowing US President Biden to control this war. It’s enough already.
EDITH OGNALL
Netanya
Note:
The article titled “US President Joe Biden needs to give this speech” (April 9) was written by Ted Flaum.