Send military to Sudan

In the April 4 Local Voice, Martina Knee of the San Francisco Bay Area Darfur Coalition cites Pirkei Avot, the Torah and our “never again” pledge as placing an obligation on us to stop the Darfur genocide (“Darfur, the Olympic torch and the role of the Jews”). This statement comes one page before an op-ed condemning Switzerland’s role in the destruction of the Jews during the Holocaust.

But five years of genocide in Darfur have gone by without any effective action to stop it. Talks, diplomacy, treaties, small armed forces, pressure on China and U.N. resolutions have all been tried, to no avail. There will have to be a significant cost to Muslim Sudan to get them to stop the murders, rapes, dislocations and starvation in Darfur. The best way at this late date to invoke that cost is for the U.S. to heavily bomb airfields, railroads, military installations, legislative buildings, industrial sites and leaders’ homes in and around Khartoum. That would at least slow down the genocide and be a warning of repeat bombings if necessary.

Edward Tamler | San Mateo

‘A war for existence’

JTA correspondent Leslie Susser fails to grasp that the peace process (“Will Rice’s trip create a climate of trust?” April 4) has never been anything but a delusional fantasy on the part of those who are unwilling to face the truth: that the Arab commitment to Israel’s destruction is total, that Fatah is just as much an enemy as Hamas and that negotiations with the Arabs do much more harm than good.

Concessions by Israel make the Arab side more aggressive rather than less, while weakening Israel’s ability to defend itself. Self-proclaimed “peace groups” that urge such concessions are in fact working for Israel’s destruction.

This is a war for existence. Israel’s only options are victory or defeat, with defeat meaning the virtual annihilation of Israel’s Jews. Israel must abandon the policy of accommodation, appeasement and retreat and fight for victory, which it is very well able to achieve. If the current leadership is not willing to do what it takes to win, it must step aside for leadership that is.

Martin Wasserman | Sunnyvale

‘Home to Egypt’

Mazel tov to the Muslims of Gaza.

The Muslims of Gaza have finally decided to throw off the shackles of Hamas and Fatah and are leaving the hellhole called Gaza and going home to Egypt.

They can prosper in the Sinai, as the Jews did before giving that land to Egypt in exchange for a false peace at Camp David.

We applaud their courage, in the face of international pressure to live in Israel, to stop this insanity and say to the world: “We have the right to return to our homelands.”

We encourage all Muslims living under the oppression of Hamas and Fatah in Gaza, Judea, Samaria, as well as the rest of Israel, to go home to Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria and to reclaim their homelands and reestablish their own government and begin to prosper. The way we all know they are so capable of doing.

Hillel Bluestein

Chairman, Philadelphia Chapter, Americans for a Safe Israel

No discussion

It is a fantasy to think that Israel can trade land for peace. Soon Israel will have to clean out Hezbollah from Gaza at a cost of many lives on both sides.

If people do not recognize you as human or your right to live, then you have no grounds to begin a discussion, not that Hezbollah will begin a discussion.

A Palestinian state does not appear to be able to live next to an Arab state, Egypt, as evidenced by the blowing up of the border wall.

It is easy to sit in San Francisco and comment on what one should do in another land. How about what used to be Rhodesia, or the mess in Kenya or Sudan … land for peace. Racial or tribal integration — we humans seem to have some serious social issues.

Lou Kaplan | San Diego

‘Petty’ tactics

As j. has noted, there has been a flurry of anonymous smear emails against Barack Obama moving through the Jewish community — which is disgraceful.

However, it goes beyond anonymous smear emails. Recently the Jerusalem Post published an article by Caroline Glick — a supposedly well-respected journalist — suggesting in a rather wily way that Obama is both an anti-Semite and anti-Israel. She did not bother to call anybody in the Chicago Jewish community to check her facts or inquire about Obama’s positions in the Senate. Rather, she bases her opinions on quotes and research of others.

Recklessly painting politicians as anti-Israel or anti-Semitic as Glick and many others are attempting to do with Obama makes the American-Jewish community seem petty and small, and these tactics ultimately do not serve our long-term interest. When a real threat does rise up, will we have the credibility and support of politicians and leaders who in years prior were wrongly labeled anti-Semitic or anti-Israel by the American Jewish community?

Ariel Seidman | Palo Alto