Letters to the editor, March 4, 2024: Contrasting articles

Contrasting articles

Many editors like to show that they publish a variety of viewpoints. But there could hardly be two more contrasting articles than those by Lauri Regan, “Decisive and complete victory,” and Ofek Balisha,”Reinstate West Bank Palestinian workers,” printed almost side-by-side in the February 27 newspaper.

Regan, with obviously much experience in Jewish community work, came to Israel together with a mission from the US, and from her relatively short visit developed a very clear picture of our situation here since Simchat Torah, a view very different from the quite distorted perspective that the current US administration seems to have.

Balisha, a third-year psychology student, offered the suggestion of allowing Palestinian workers from Judea and Samaria to return to work in Israel, mostly to save the precarious Palestinian economy. His outlook is one which shows sheer naivety.

He carries a quite unjustified conviction that in spite of the massive security failures of Simchat Torah and the time leading up to it, we can make sure to exclude security risks even as we allow Palestinian workers to return. He shows excessive concern for the Palestinians, amid their inability to manage their own economy since the beginning of the Oslo process, thirty years ago.

Long ago, they decided to become permanent victims rather than do what Israelis have done, to establish a viable thriving state. Balisha’s view would seem to reflect the unreal world in which too many students seem to live.

Regan gave us a beautifully written, very direct message that should also be taken back and publicized in the US. Balisha, on the other hand, churned out the highly unpopular and now unacceptable unrealistic leftist notions that he claims “security figures... and army generals” favor, that if implemented would run the risks of another Simchat Torah disaster.

JOSEPH BERGER

Netanya

Center of gravity

Regarding “Yair Golan’s two goals: Unite the Left, and topple the government,” (March 1), Yair Golan is angry; having seen his party, Meretz, crumble under him, he now wants to destroy Labor, too. As a true ideological extremist, he thinks that no means are too violent, no means are too extreme, to achieve his ends. It is obvious to most observers of the Israeli political scene that over the recent years the center of gravity of the population has moved to the Right; maybe not to the Ben-Gvir Right, but to the Right nevertheless.

Golan probably senses this, which is why he is willing to try to bring the government down by resorting to violent demonstrations, blocking highways, obstructing traffic, probably anything else to achieve his political objectives, because normal democratic processes will undoubtedly result in another right-wing government. He does not seem to care that the extreme divisions in Israel before October 7 made Israel appear weak, an apparent weakness that undoubtedly encouraged the Hamas pogrom.

At this time, it is essential that the unity displayed by Israel and, in fact, by the Jewish people worldwide must be preserved. Attempts by Golan and people of his ilk to relight the prewar self-destructive divisions must be resisted vigorously. The last thing we need now is another election.

STEPHEN COHEN

Ma’aleh Adumim

Golan is pushing for two things. One, a reasonable goal, is to unify the left-leaning parties in order to avoid what happened in the last election: a split between Labor and Meretz, resulting in all of the votes for Meretz becoming meaningless since they were too few to pass the threshold for entering the Knesset.

Golan’s second goal is to have elections as soon as possible, while we are at war with Hamas.

I am not against the principle that the government should be forced to face the fact that a war started during its term of office. What I am against is making the members of the government divide their efforts between conducting a war of existential importance and trying to conduct a political campaign.

If we were not performing well in the war; if the number of civilian casualties relative to the deaths of the terrorists who initiated it and are trying to wipe out the State of Israel wasn’t lower than any other war ever fought; if the government wasn’t making an effort to protect and support the people who live in areas under attack, then, maybe, such a call might be justified.

I’m not saying that I think that the government is doing all that it should to preserve the state and the unity that is in contrast to what it was on October 6, but I am saying that its inadequacies aren’t at a level that justifies risking losing this war.

Mr. Golan, try to unify the Left. I’m not sure that it is possible, but it is a reasonable goal for you. However, save your election campaign until, God willing, we manage to eradicate Hamas and Hezbollah, so that there will be a government for which to contest.

HAIM SHALOM SNYDER

Petah Tikva

The ability to pray

It seems that the US has decided to intervene in Israel’s debate regarding the matter of Muslim prayer on the  Temple Mount during the month of Ramadan (“US presses Israel on Temple Mount,” February 29). State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller asserted that Palestinian worshipers should be allowed to pray at the site because “it’s not just the right thing to do, it’s not just a matter of granting people religious freedom that they deserve and to which they have a right, but it is also a matter that directly is important to Israel’s security.”

One wonders that if the US is, in fact, concerned about religious freedom in Israel, why is no pressure exerted to allow Jews the ability to pray at their holiest place, namely – the Temple Mount?

Failure to permit Jews to pray on the Temple Mount constitutes a curtailment of their religious rights. It is ironic that anti-Jewish religious discrimination is thus practiced in the only Jewish state on the planet. We should not facilitate Muslim prayer at the site of the Holy Temple unless Jews are granted the same right. In a true democracy, religious freedom must be equally provided to all its citizens.

REUVEN MANN

Jerusalem

Face reality

The two articles on the front page of the op-ed section on February 28 are as different as night from day. The article by Marc B. Shapiro, “Qatar and Hamas,” reflects the reality of life in this little slice of land that is home to nearly 10 million people, many of whom are sacrificing their lives in its defense on a daily basis.

On the other hand, the article written by Sherwin Pomerantz, “Like it or not: There will be two states,” describes a dream from which he needs to wake up and instead face reality.

Does he really believe that there will be two states? I guess there’s no harm in hoping, but I for one do not believe it for a moment. Sorry Sherwin, but my eyes are wide open!

BRENDA GOLDBLUM

Jerusalem