Letters to the Editor, August 5, 2024: Victims of wishful thinking

In “Everything must change: A new generation of pioneers will redefine Israel” (August 2), Zvika Klein makes a bold call for Israel to refresh, restart, and redefine itself in every way – politically, militarily, socially, and religiously. His courage to make these demands derives from his optimism that the recently revealed “new generation” of Israelis offers much promise for a post-October 7 society.

I admire his sanguinity, but I must note that we have a record of being victims of wishful thinking. What also comes to mind is the American dream of a “revitalized” Palestinian Authority to retake control over Gaza and our leaders’ demand for a “deradicalization” of Gaza. Klein seems to think that a revitalized and deradicalized Israel will be able to thrive in the new Middle East. I can only say: speedily in our time.

BENNY A. BENJAMIN

Jerusalem

Too much to stomach?

Douglas Bloomfield continues to provide readers of The Jerusalem Post with his diatribes against Donald Trump, former US president and now a candidate for another term. In “The not-so-new isolationism” (August 1), he draws equivalency between Kamala Harris and JD Vance not attending Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to Congress last month.

This, like many of the writer’s assertions, does not hold water. Vance is Trump’s running mate; Harris is vice president in the current administration. As such, she is also president of the Senate, and should have been there, sitting behind Netanyahu. Was this too much for her and her ultra-Left colleagues to stomach?

Notwithstanding her personal meeting with Netanyahu, she later called on Israel to implement an immediate ceasefire with the thugs of Hamas. Her actions are a clear indication of things to come for Israel should she succeed in her bid to become president of the US in January.

DAVID SMITH

Ra’anana

Forced to retire

Regarding “The right time to retire” (August 2): President Biden wanted to stay in the presidential race, even after major Democratic figures had urged him to retire. He was forced to retire after major donors retracted their pledges and made it clear that they would not donate to his campaign.  

Without money to fund campaign operatives, campaign travel, and media ads, his campaign would have ground to a halt; he had no choice.

MARSHA DALIN

Modi’in

Headless Hamas snake

Let’s assume that Seth Frantzman’s take on the execution of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh is correct and that this remarkable achievement will indeed have negative repercussions on Hamas’s influence throughout the region (“Haniyeh demise a huge blow for Iran terror,” August 2). However, has his death brought the end to the multi-front war any closer, and is the release of those hostages who are still alive in any way imminent? Hardly, I believe.

I wonder if Israeli strategists were concerned that dissension within the country was growing louder each day and that the widening frustration over the hostage stalemate was becoming somewhat worrying. There is, in addition, an understandable question mark hovering over the reliability of our missile-defense system. Perhaps our government and military leaders realized that a big win of some sort was sorely needed to prevent morale from harmful decay. What could be better than a bold display of Israel military prowess in concert with Jewish chutzpah?

This, of course, is not the first high profile figure whose influence on the Palestinian people would have been brought to an end by Israel. However, judging from the concerns over what the response will be to the removal of Haniyeh, the temporarily headless Hamas snake is not yet ready to die. Would it not have been better to come up with something that had immediate benefits rather than be concerned over what might or might not happen months if not years from now?

The families of the hostages would undoubtedly say “yes.”

BARRY NEWMAN

Ginot Shomron

Thirty years of failure

Regarding “Israel braces for Iranian reaction to assassinations” (August 2): Israel and its neighbors are now at a pivotal point in history. Thirty years of failure by Israel and its supposed partners in the West have led to a situation whereby Iran has embedded its proxy forces inside states surrounding Israel with vast quantities of arms. So it is time for Prime Minister Netanyahu to take a drastic course of action which if successful would render Iran’s investments moot.

Netanyahu should call a special session of the Knesset and give a speech along these lines:

“Israel extends its hand in peace and friendship with Lebanon and calls for immediate and full peace. Only Israel and Lebanon will be involved in any negotiations. The border will be set as per the UN-demarcated Blue Line. Israel recognizes the Lebanese government as the sole arbiter of force within Lebanon.

“Israel and Lebanon will enter into a free trade agreement, and use of a berth at the Port of Eilat will be granted to Lebanon. Israel and Lebanon will permit visa-free tourist travel of 90 days for each other’s citizens, and undertake full agricultural, scientific and cultural cooperation. Israel and Lebanon will undertake to restore Jewish sites in Lebanon and their development for tourism.

“Upper Galilee and South Lebanon will become a joint-enterprise zone. Israel and Lebanon will commit to the construction of a railway from Eilat to Tripoli. If the government of Lebanon does not respond positively within seven days, we understand that the Lebanese people have chosen war over peace.”

There have been many reports from Lebanon of how they don’t want another war with Israel. By engaging in a warm peace with Israel, they could totally sideline Hezbollah. The only concession Israel would be offering is access to Eilat port, to enable Lebanon to trade with the Far East. The no-war no-peace model is unsustainable, as shown on October 7.

KOBI SIMPSON-LAVY

Rehovot

Free-lunch idea

Kudos to Shmuley Boteach for his brave pioneering efforts against the “Free Palestine” gangs which throng Times Square and other key plazas in the civilized world (“Occupied by Hamas,” July 31). The idea that “Palestinians” are special people, who unlike the rest of the world, are entitled to free lunches, must stop. The logical extension of the Palestinian free-lunch idea is the Palestinian free-for-all idea.

Palestinian free-for-alls are held any time Palestinians get less than they are demanding (i.e. always). Palestinian free-for-alls must stop: the Palestinian free-for-all on October 7, the Palestinian free-for-all at the Munich Olympics, and many more.

To do this, civilization must recognize that there is no justice in the demand that Palestinians deserve free lunches; nor is there anything romantic or admirable about Palestinian free-for-alls. Palestinian free-lunch demands and Palestinian free-for-alls are dangerous and unjust.

Palestinians are all members of the Arab nation which is territorially extremely well endowed. Anyone who has yet to take a stand against Palestinian free-lunch demands and Palestinian free-for-alls is showing a severe lack of foresight or serious cowardice, or both.

SUSIE DYM

Rehovot