Letters to the Editor, August 4, 2024: Difficult decisions - opinion

Beyond their purviews

Regarding “Thousands take to streets, airport to shut down, general strike called” (September 2): As far as I am aware, Israel is a parliamentary democracy with national policy set by the government coalition as elected by the citizenry. The head of the Histadrut is elected by a much narrower franchise, and yet this unrepresentative person decides, without a full ballot of the labor federation’s members, to “shut down” the economy” over an issue not connected to labor relations in any way.

Will the Chief Rabbinate and Supreme Court, which are similarly elected by a narrow unrepresentative franchise, now go on strike to protest policies beyond their purviews?

The use of such undemocratic means to “preserve democracy” is akin to using racism to fight racism. The opposition must remember that the banner of democracy is not exclusive to its own causes. Rather than trying to impose its unelectable policies on the populace, it would behoove it to work to unseat the government via parliamentary means, and to finally produce policies that resonate with the citizenry beyond “just not Bibi.”

The next Knesset session should bring about legislation to prevent the Histadrut from ordering strike action over non-labor issues, to require a full ballot of relevant members before a strike is declared, and to make sympathy strikes illegal, thus removing one of the undemocratic power bases in the country – the Histadrut socialist relic.

KOBI SIMPSON-LAVY

Rehovot

With hundreds of thousands taking to the streets, with US President Biden saying that Prime Minister Netanyahu is not doing enough, all demanding that the Israeli government accept the Hamas terms for a ceasefire, they have unwittingly caused unintended consequences of a horrific nature. They may have signed the death warrants for the remaining living hostages.

Yahya Sinwar, sitting in a tunnel 60 meters below the ground surrounded by hostages and bodyguards, is saying to himself the following: “My valiant shahids have just cruelly murdered six of the hostages in cold blood before they could be rescued. Yet amazingly, the reaction by a vocal part of the Israelis is to blame neither me nor the killers, but their own government for not accepting my terms for ending the war: a complete withdrawal of the IDF from all of Gaza including the Philadelphi Corridor and allowing our people to stay in charge. As such, handing over the remaining hostages under any circumstances would be totally counterproductive for me. They are my insurance policy, especially if I kill them a few at a time. I’ll just continue to say ‘no.’”

Prime Minister Netanyahu has already accepted a temporary ceasefire and shown flexibility. Only once we are all united in the effort to totally defeat those who perpetrated the October 7 massacres – which is the only way that the hostages can be saved, can the peace in the South, for which we yearn, be achieved.

FRED EHRMAN

Ra’anana

Relentless, ruthless, and vicious

Regarding “PM apologizes to hostage families, firm on Philadelphi” (September 3): It is indeed a sad time for our nation as we are in dire straits. Much has been written, voiced, and thought about regarding the controversy of standing with the hostage families or with Netanyahu’s position of not “giving in” to our enemies. We have no King Solomon to judge.

I am no fan of our present government, in fact, very much against all they have done on the country’s behalf. I would like to say, however, that we are up against relentless, ruthless, and vicious killers who, for their own personal safety and unfathomable hatred of Jews, would place their own mothers and children in front of the firing line.

They have been playing games with Israel these past many months of war. It was never their intention to release any hostages, regardless of the conditions to which we would agree; never. It would not have mattered if we assented to all of their demands. The end result would have been as is happening to us.

It would be futile to believe or even think that Hamas and its ilk could be trusted to release their “ace in the hole,” which they consider pawns in a chess game that has no winner. We have come to what seems to be a horrible dilemma, without a good ending.

“The Lord, our God, will cut them off” (Psalms 94:23).

LEAH ISRAEL

Jerusalem

While we cannot imagine what the families of all the hostages have gone through, we cannot forget the countless soldiers dead and wounded who have given their lives to destroy these despicable barbarians.

The world does not remember the unspeakable murders, mutilations, burnings, and hell which the barbarians did to us. Does someone think that, after all of that, we will let them control their own  borders? Our soldiers deserve the enemy’s destruction. The enemy cannot determine its own fate. The border crossings after this war are not up for negotiations. 

DAVID ROTENBERG

Jerusalem

Brief but overwhelming

I applaud Seth J. Frantzman’s delineation of the stark choices Israel faces in the wake of the murders of six hostages by Hamas (“Israel’s stark dilemmas after hostage deaths,” September 3).

It seems clear that there is little chance of recovering any of the remaining hostages through negotiations, as Hamas has consistently attached conditions to a ceasefire and release of hostages which would amount to a Hamas victory in the war. This would be an existential threat to Israel and cannot be permitted. So what are the alternatives?

Frantzman discusses a much more aggressive campaign by the IDF to destroy what remains of Hamas. There is much merit to this. However, there would be a substantial risk of alienating the Biden-Harris administration to the point that its arms deliveries to Israel would be totally suspended. Because Israel has developed a complete dependency on the US for munitions and military hardware, this is a risk which probably cannot be undertaken. The exception might be a brief but overwhelming campaign which can be accomplished with the stores the IDF already has on hand. Only the IDF’s leaders know if they are in a position to do this.

Another possibility is just to continue the IDF’s campaign as presently composed, a slow attrition and wearing down of Hamas, and an ongoing imposition of costs on Hezbollah for its attacks. The objective would be to wait for the American presidential election, to see if a more sympathetic Republican administration would take off the handcuffs which Biden and Harris have placed on IDF operations, or at least to have a better chance of not running afoul of a Harris administration. Meanwhile attritional tactics can win wars over the longer term.

So if the IDF can defeat Hamas and Hezbollah with supplies on hand, a brief but overwhelming campaign is an option. If not, it seems that the IDF must continue the present tactics. In the long term, it is a vital necessity for Israel to wean itself off American military aid. These are stark choices indeed, but navigable ones.

DANIEL H. TRIGOBOFF

Williamsville, NY

Hypocrites of the world

Regarding “UK suspends 30 arms export licenses to Israel” (September 3): The hypocrites of the world can take heart. That bulwark of democracy, the UK, has proven once again that when it comes to Jews and Israel, the UK can always be counted upon to deny Israel the right to self-defense.

Hamas murdered hostages, yet there’s no comment about violating international law or crimes against humanity. On the other hand, Israel targets the perpetrators of these dastardly deeds, and the reaction is: “Stop, negotiate for a ceasefire; maybe Hamas will release live captives.”

JOE SIMON

Kfar Aviv