Sane people must get back in control
Two recent letters criticize positions I’ve taken. The first, by Neal Wohlmuth, argues that “land for peace is a non-Jewish concept” (Oct. 23). He cites the story of Yiftach, who makes a rash vow, resulting in the sacrifice of his daughter. It is difficult to believe that story is a model of behavior to emulate, rather than an example of what to eschew. Wohlmuth ignores the story of Abraham dividing up land to keep the peace with Lot. I doubt many believe that Yiftach embodies Jewish values better than Abraham.
I do not accept, however, any biblical story as precedent, determining what we should do today. I cite biblical/rabbinic values (e.g., we are to pursue peace, do justice, love our neighbors and refrain from doing to others what would be hateful to us) as guiding principles. When the Messiah comes, if God wants us to have all of ancient Israel, so be it. Until then, we must figure this out ourselves.
Norman Licht (Oct. 30) claims that I engage in “wishful thinking” that the occupation caused Arab terrorism: in other words, that I consider Jews guilty of causing Arab terrorism — a profoundly anti-Zionist position. I merely urged that we remember our own history but also understand the Palestinian narrative in order to achieve a lasting peace. To construe this as anti-Israel demonstrates how toxic the discussion of these issues has become.
On this anniversary of Rabin’s assassination, I recall how a once promising peace process was hijacked by crazies on both sides — inflicting death and suffering to provoke hatred and revenge, condemning all to more horror. Sane people must reassert control over events. It was difficult for Rabin to shake Arafat’s hand, but he came to see him as helpful in fighting extremists. Similarly, we must suppress vengeful reactions lest we give the extremists permanent control over our future.
Yonkel Goldstein | San Carlos
Holocaust mastermind is no longer relevant
As Hillary Clinton famously said regarding the origin of the Benghazi attack, whether video or terrorism, “What difference does it make?” The same question could be rightly applied to the brouhaha concerning Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s statement that the grand mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Amin al-Husseini, inspired Hitler’s decision to annihilate European Jews (“Despite Netanyahu claim, Holocaust was not mufti’s idea,” Oct. 30).
The whole world is in a permanent state of indignation, and the White House has even issued a warning that Israel should stop instigating violence. All because, according to historic records, Hitler didn’t need any inspiration; the Holocaust had been rolling across Europe without the mufti. But the latter was a big enthusiast of it. He formed a Muslim battalion in Bosnia in support of Hitler’s “ideas” and was a major force behind anti-Jewish riots in the Middle East.
So, it really doesn’t matter who gets “credit” for being the pioneer in murdering Jews. Especially because after the Nazi Germany defeat, the Hitler-mufti “legacy” lives on in the vile anti-Semitic Arab propaganda and all the fully developed and underdeveloped intifadas.
Vladimir Kaplan | San Mateo
Why Arab countries don’t want refugees
Some are wondering why oil-rich Arab countries with plentiful resources are not offering to take in Syrian refugees. According to the Daily Mail, King Salman of Saudi Arabia “is content to give the asylum seekers a wide berth in his own land, fearful as he, and the other arch conservatives who assist him, [are] of them importing a form of political dissent that they believe would threaten the autocracy.”
Perhaps King Salman knows something about the likely effect of importing a large number of military-age, single young men into his country, something that has escaped the attention of Angela Merkel and many others. Could that be why Saudi Arabia offered to build 200 mosques for the “spiritual needs” of the Syrians, but only in Germany?
Julia Lutch | Davis
Welcome to the tribe
Tracy Layney’s column (“We all walk our own paths — why I chose the Jewish one,” Oct. 30) warmed my heart and brought tears to my eyes. I think the best answer to the often controversial question “Who is a Jew?” is really very simple: whoever feels they are Jewish in their heart and soul. Welcome, Sarah, from one Jewish woman to another.
Malka Weitman | Berkeley
Idea for new tactic to prevent attacks
Arab Palestinians have developed the despicable habit of naming streets and squares after their “martyrs,” which is the term used for Arabs who wantonly murder Jews. Other than protesting verbally, Israel doesn’t do anything about this practice.
In addition to demolishing the home of each assailant, Israelis should build a new house, neighborhood or even settlement in Judea or Samaria in honor of each and every Jewish terror victim. Perhaps this would make Arab Palestinians think twice about killing more Jews if they knew that this would be the result of their actions.
Desmond Tuck | San Mateo
Delaying Iran nukes only delays disaster
The Oct. 23 letter “Iran dialogue gets no respect” started with one of the nicest comments possible in any letters section: that expressing disagreement with respect is still possible. Sadly, the letter then devolved into haughty arrogance, dismissive of and vilifying those holding contrary positions.
It was President Barack Obama himself who unilaterally declared victory in Iraq and withdrew American troops. Militant, terrorist Iraqi opposition groups did not surrender; there was no peace agreement with the opposition. This was much like the bully who loses a basketball game at the local playground and simply states “I win,” takes his basketball and goes home.
The Iraqi army was ill-prepared to suppress terrorists and maintain a level of peaceful life in Iraq. Even U.S. military had not maintained full peace. (Recall that after World War II, a strong Allied military presence remained in Germany for more than 50 years!)
Nature abhors a vacuum; as American troops withdrew from Iraq, myriad terror groups moved in.
In the final sentence, the author rhetorically asks how delaying Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon for 15 years could be a “bad thing.” One could have asked the equally absurd question — with 20/20 hindsight — were a similar arrangement made with Nazi Germany in 1938: How could delaying the Holocaust and the murder of 6 million Jews for 15 years be a bad thing?
Fred Korr | Oakland
‘Inexcusable’ bias in New York Times
Your Oct. 16 editorial condemned worldwide indifference toward Palestinian knife attacks on Israelis. Unfortunately, mendacious media bias ensures Israel will have little sympathy.
Consider a BBC story about a Palestinian who was killed after murdering two Jewish men and wounding a woman and child. The headline read: “Palestinian shot dead after Jerusalem attack kills two.”
The New York Times has been even worse:
Sept. 14 and 15: The Times reported that “Jerusalem’s Old City” was “in territory Israel seized from Jordan in the 1967 war.” Israel “seized”? In fact, Jordan attacked Israel.
Sept. 15: The Times portrayed an Israeli driver’s murder as a “self-inflicted accident” after Palestinians “pelted the road.” Actually, the car crashed after a rock directly struck it. The article also belittled rock-throwing as a Palestinian “rite of passage.”
Sept. 19: The Times buried Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas’ remarks that Jews had “no right to defile” the Temple Mount “with their filthy feet” and his praise of terrorism in the fourth paragraph of an article about international posturing.
Oct. 9: The Times reported that archaeologists questioned whether the biblical Jewish temples were located on the Temple Mount. A subsequent correction acknowledged this was false.
Oct. 10: The Times insisted Abbas “has preached nonviolence for his entire tenure,” ignoring incitement like his 2010 Arab League summit address declaring: “If you [Arab states] want war, and if all of you will fight Israel, we are in favor.”
Oct. 16: Abbas’ blood libel that a Palestinian was wrongly accused of stabbing an Israeli boy and had been “executed” was debunked after Israel showed the assailant alive and produced surveillance footage of the knife attack. However, the Times headline “Conflicting accounts of Jerusalem strife surround wounded boy” obfuscated Abbas’ lie.
Such bias is unethical and inexcusable.
Stephen A. Silver | San Francisco
Obeying Almighty will save Israel
Stopping terror attacks will require a drastic change in Israel’s policy. It has to recognize that it’s in a war for its existence against an enemy that understands nothing but force, and that seeking a temporary truce isn’t good enough. What it has to do is eradicate the culture of organized Jew-hatred from its midst.
It should start by repudiating the Oslo agreement, which the Palestinian Authority has already done, and burying the two-state delusion once and for all. It should declare the PA an illegal organization and terminate its existence, open up all of Judea and Samaria to Jewish settlement and eliminate anyone who forcibly opposes this effort.
Some nations might be angered by this, but it’s better to anger the nations than to anger the Almighty. He didn’t restore the Jews to the Promised Land after a 2,000-year exile just so they could surrender it to their enemies without a fight. If God is with us, no nation will be able to harm us. But we have to merit His support by ceasing our rebellions against Him and adhering to His commandments. When Israel does this, its success will be assured.
Martin Wasserman | Palo Alto
‘Silence = death’
For weeks, Arab TV has broadcast racist calls to kill Jews. Palestinian TV has called Jews “filth” and “defilers,” urging that they be driven from Judaism’s holiest shrine, and hailing Arabs who kill Jews (www.palwatch.org).
On Oct. 16, Gaza University’s dean of Koranic studies said God approves of murdering Jewish kids. On Oct. 9, a knife-wielding Gaza imam called Jews “enemies of humanity,” urged the viewers to stab them, slit their throats, cut them into body parts, “form four-man stabbing squads, two men restraining the victim, one stabbing and another axing him” (www.memritv.org).
In response, Arabs have knifed, axed and rammed more than 200 defenseless innocents — toddlers, boys, baby girls and Israeli seniors — not to mention the tens of thousands of Christians, Kurds, Yazidis and Africans sold as slaves, killed or exiled in the rest of the Middle East.
There’s an expression, “Silence equals death.” The self-styled Jewish Voice for Peace is willfully silent.
Seth Watkins | Menlo Park