Even less success
Regarding “Since terror attack last week, IDF has had little success in curbing violent settlers” (January 14): I would suggest that the IDF has had even less success in curbing violent Palestinians.
STEPHEN VISHNICKTel Aviv
Make Hamas listen
Regarding “Even with pressure from Trump, a deal not guaranteed” (January 13): The fact is that in spite of Trump’s loud but vague threat that if the hostages are not released there will be “hell to pay,” he has little significant leverage over Hamas. As Yonah Jeremy Bob points out in his analysis, America does not support Hamas, so cannot threaten to remove support.
Trump is not going to send US troops to Gaza to impose his will on Hamas. He can and probably will impose sanctions on the Iranian regime, which could apply indirect pressure on Hamas, but that will take months or years to prove effective. Israel can hardly apply more pressure on Hamas because Hamas doesn’t care if Gazans starve or die.
However there is one way to make Hamas listen. Hamas doesn’t care if Gazans starve or die, but they do care if they lose territory. Israel should announce that a large area of northern Gaza will be annexed to Israel and that all Gazans will be expelled. In their place, Israeli settlements will be reestablished there.
Trump will likely be willing to agree to this and to veto any UN or European criticism. These plans will be abandoned if the hostages are all released immediately. The threat of annexation of territory could be the lever we need to close an acceptable deal.
STEPHEN COHENMa’aleh Adumim
Shame on him
Regarding “Ramping up criticism of Israel, pope calls situation in Gaza ‘shameful’” (January 10): Yes, indeed it is shameful. Hostages are dying, several murdered, languishing in the Hamas tunnels for well over a year and the pope does not mention that. The shame is not on Israel but on the pontiff himself.
Hamas recruits boys of 16 and 17 years to fight their fight. When they die, the Israelis are blamed for killing children. Does the pope criticize Hamas? No, he does not. Shame on him.
The Christian community within the PLO- and Hamas-ruled areas is dwindling, driven out or killed. What is the pope doing about it? He’s doing absolutely nothing. If there is any shame it has to be on the pope himself. We Israelis feel none.
EDMUND JONAHRishon Lezion
Lack of interest
Rafael Medoff writes extensively about Holocaust topics, notably relating to the silence of the world during the horrors of those years. Therefore I was quick to read his description of the murder and torture of Africans taking place right now in Sudan (“Silence in the face of actual genocide,” January 13).
When he writes of the world’s lack of interest when something happens in “remote, complicated, or just uninteresting” places, I think back to the lack of outcry during the 1930s and 1940s when Jews were being persecuted and murdered in Germany and all of Europe. Scholars often debate whether Hitler and his executioners could have been stopped early on by world condemnation, when Hitler began targeting Jews.
Even in 1933, the world was aware of what was happening. An example was an organization of Protestant churches which debated whether to intervene in Germany, but held back due to fears of interfering in a sovereign country. Whereas individuals may not have the resources to impact international situations, organizations may have a chance at garnering international support against genocidal actions.
We must continue to learn the lessons of history in order not to repeat the mistakes of the past. The goal of Holocaust studies remains: “Never again, to any people, anywhere.”
MARION REISSBeit Shemesh
Saddened beyond belief
It was with a heavy heart that I read “Australia’s problem” (editorial, January 13). Both of my parents were born in Australia in the 1800s. My father, Joe Opas, an accountant, was retained by Victoria Police as a fraud investigator. In World War II, my brother Phil Opas rose from a private in the RAAF – Royal Australian Air Force – to air vice-marshal and also judge advocate-general.
I was the only Jewish child in my primary school in Melbourne, but had lots of friends, even though they knew I was a “Jewy.” I was invited to all my classmates’ birthday parties. I came on aliyah in 1971 at the age of 40, never having come in contact with any antisemitism. Australia was the land of giving everyone a fair go. I am saddened beyond belief by what has happened to my once-beautiful birthplace.
DVORA WAYSMANJerusalem
A national embarrassment
Regarding “The senility system strikes again” (January 9): I am very concerned about your columnist Douglas Bloomfield whose article demonstrates a distinct inability to see the obvious truth and to only accept his warped view of reality, which for a journalist is a dangerous syndrome.
It was clear to anyone, other than the Democrat hierarchy, that very early on in Joe Biden’s presidency, he was sadly, mentally impaired; the vague stare, the constant tumbles, imagining people who weren’t there, wandering around aimlessly and then forgetting words, names and countries.
It was a national embarrassment.
This tragic figure was allowed to continue in office by people like Bloomfield who were prepared to endanger the USA, which was effectively leaderless, by peddling nonsense about Biden being on top of his game, accusing the media of showing “misleading camera angles,” and charging that it was a right-wing conspiracy.
Anyone can see that President-elect Trump is mentally astute, he answers all and any questions thrown at him by anyone. The real problem is that Bloomfield doesn’t like the answers and suddenly he’s deeply concerned about a president’s health.
The danger to the US are the Bloomfields of this world who are so biased that they forget a journalist is there to report the truth, not to hide it.
DANIEL BAUMZichron Ya’acov