By LETTERS TO THE EDITORLetters(photo credit: REUTERS)
With regard to “World leaders warn of doomed peace process” (December 7), can anyone explain to me the absurdity?When years ago the Palestinians declared themselves a nation, the heads of most European, Asian, South American and Arab states and governments fell over themselves to recognize this “state.” The Palestinian Authority opened offices in capitals all over the world, its officials and ministers being received by presidents, kings and queens. The PA was invited to be a member of the UN and make its opinion heard at every international forum and convention.When the American president declares Jerusalem the capital of Israel (it has already been the capital of the Jewish people for thousands of years), all hell breaks loose, and anything to do with Jerusalem must be decided as part of the “final status agreement.”To me it seems too obvious – hypocrisy and Israel-bashing!RUTH SAMSONPetah TikvaIn response to the outcry against America recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, Israel should enact a law requiring all foreign embassies to be located in Jerusalem. The law should include significant financial penalties for relocation delays beyond a specified deadline, including higher real estate fees, taxes and utility rates.The law would normalize embassy relocations to Jerusalem.AVIVA ADLERBeit ShemeshUntil now, nearly every country, including in the West, has called for Jerusalem to be a shared capital despite the absurdity of the concept and the lack of precedent. This proposal, which has always been viewed by Israel as stupid and antithetical to Jewish history and interests, has not stopped the West from trying to mediate between Israelis and Arabs.After the dust clears, many nations will come out in support of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. This may or may not change the Palestinian Arabs’ intransigent attitude against compromising on their demands. In either case, though, Israel’s rights to its historic capital will no longer be in doubt.STEVE KRAMERAlfei MenasheWith regard to “Abbas: US has withdrawn as peace interlocutor” (December 7), for decades, both Hamas and Fatah have maintained a stance that calls for the destruction of Israel. Their intransigence is based on the idea that they cannot expect to get what they want from direct talks with Israel, although they can get the Americans and Europeans to pressure Israel into making concessions without having to yield anything themselves.US President Donald Trump’s speech about Jerusalem served notice to the Arab side that the US is not going to be part of that equation any longer.ARYEH WETHERHORNElazarThe world has long been manipulated by violence, both threatened and real, emanating from elements of the Muslim world. The success of this violence in influencing western policy has inevitably resulted in increased violence, and to treat Jerusalem as anything other than Israel’s capital would throw gasoline on fires already raging across the pathologically unstable Middle East.Terror and violence are not indicative of a sincere, peace-oriented, rational political culture. It should be obvious that if the world trembles at the threat of Palestinian rage, the world will get more terror and violence instead of peace.JULIA LUTCHDavis, CaliforniaMore credit where due...I was thrilled to see the article about the phenomenal Nazareth Tigers hockey school program (“American Jewish coach leads Israel’s only Arab ice hockey team,” Sports, December 7). However, as the subject of the article, I must correct the impression the headline probably gives to your readers.The program itself is led by Ramez Lahham, a very dedicated and amazing man who founded it with Raji Srouji five years ago. I parachuted into their wonderful program three years ago.And although we do train on ice monthly with the Canada-Israel Hockey School in Metulla, we are not actually an ice hockey team.Due to the lack of a rink in Nazareth, we train and play primarily on rollerblades.MARC MILZMANKarmiel...and kudos on the cricketJust a brief note to say how happy I am to see, at long last, cricket being reported in the sports pages of The Jerusalem Post (“Anderson, Root give England a sniff in Ashes,” Sports Shorts, December 6). I hope this will continue.SYDNEY CHASKALSONModi’inAfter-the-fact excusesI would like to add a thought to Isi Leibler’s excellent “American Jews: Look in the mirror” (Candidly Speaking, December 6).It has become increasingly obvious that many Conservative and Reform rabbis and lay leaders in the United States who have watched their membership dwindle are now using the conversion and Western Wall issues in Israel as after-the-fact excuses to explain away these losses to assimilation. These “leaders” are people who for many years could have been holding out Israel as the marvelous success story it is, and likely could have been less judgmental and more focused on explaining why it sometimes has to do what it does.Perhaps these people inwardly discourage Zionism and aliya so as to maintain their constituencies. Well, they have failed.MATT SCHEINJerusalemPathetic pol and opinion pieceWhile bemoaning the fact that Ehud Barak chose the pages of The New York Times to vent his spleen against the current Israeli government, Gil Troy (“Ehud Barak’s ‘New York Times’ Bibi-bash was anti-Zionist,” Center Field, December 6) and Micah Halperin (“Barak’s tactical mistake,” Above the Fold, December 4) failed to correctly identify the reason he chose that paper: No one in this country would pay attention to a piece he wrote.Barak, despite what appear to be stellar credentials, was a spectacular failure as Israel’s shortest-tenured prime minister. He was somewhat rehabilitated when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chose him as defense minister, but he was totally incapable of navigating the political shoals and was forced to withdraw as a politician when new elections were called.Barak is now attempting a political comeback, but no one seems to take his chances seriously – except, possibly, Ehud Barak. He claims to have a poll that shows he is the choice of the Israeli electorate, but no one seems to know about the poll (nor would anyone believe it is anywhere near accurate).What better way to stay in the good graces of the international press and American Jewry than to publish a piece in The New York Times, which is more than willing to publish any piece critical of Israel.Frankly, I think Barak’s piece – and Barak himself – are pathetic.BARRY EISENBERGJerusalemNot forgetting PollardWith regard to “A new Trump deal” (Editorial, December 3), The Jerusalem Post should be praised for not forgetting Jonathan Pollard and that he should be freed and allowed to come to Israel. It would be a gift on par with moving the US Embassy or recognizing Jerusalem for what it is, the capital of Israel.Jonathan Pollard gave his life for the safety and security of all Israelis, and we must remember and free him.BATYA KOENIGSBERGJerusalemCORRECTIONDue to an editing error, reader Aaron Braunstein’s December 5 letter “Beleaguered Kurds” gave the impression that Kurds make up “close to half of Iran’s population.” It should have stated that they and all the country’s other minorities together make up close to half the population. The letters editor regrets the error.
if(catID != 151){
var cont = `Take Israel home with the new Jerusalem Post Store
