President doesn’t take Arab leaders at their word
J Street pushes back by making demands on Israel and giving Palestinian leadership a forum to talk, (“J Street pushes back,” WJW, March 26) but strangely ignores making demands on the Palestinians. They are providing cover for President Barack Obama to escalate his feud with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. All of Israel’s supporters, including those subscribing to J Street philosophy should contact President [Barack] Obama, and encourage him to stop his hateful comments against Prime Minister Netanyahu and Israel.
It is beyond belief that while he condemns Netanyahu’s pre-election antics and takes Netanyahu at his word regarding his objection to a Palestinian state (under current conditions), he seems to ignore the words of the Arab leaders.
Last month, Ayatolla Khameni, of Iran, in front of thousands of followers stated that his goal was to destroy Israel and called for “Death to America.” Apparently, Obama does not take Arab leaders at their word, or their deeds, like he does Netanyahu.
LANNY PLOTKIN
Olney
Soft on Baker
Your reporter really sugarcoated his characterization of James Baker in the article about Baker’s speech to J Street (“Baker walks a tightrope at J Street,” WJW, March 26). The article states that the former secretary of state “presided over a particularly antagonistic period in the relationship between Israel and the United States.” Near the end of the George Herbert Walker Bush presidency, the secretary of state was quoted as saying “F—- the Jews, they don’t vote for us.” Even though many people heard him say this, Baker has repeatedly lied about saying this and has never apologized for his outburst.
LEE HURWITZ
Rockville
Not a generation gap, but an information gap
In the article on J Street (“J Street pushes back” WJW, March 26), the drop-off of support for Israel among young Jews is attributed to a “generation gap.” To the contrary, I would say this discouraging development is more likely the result of an education-information gap.
J Street U and other far-left campus groups attract young individuals who naively believe in the simplistic notion that creation of a Palestinian state under present conditions will lead to a sustainable peace. Apparently, these individuals have a lack of knowledge and understanding of what Zionism is all about and of the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict. How else to explain their obliviousness to continuing Palestinian incitement of hatred and violence against Israel and Jews, to Palestinian Authority complicity in specific acts of terrorism, to obliviousness to Israel’s very real security concerns’ and to the Jewish people’s legitimate and historic rights to dwell in peace throughout the land of Israel?
They fail to grasp that the Jewish, Zionist narrative has always been grounded in hard facts and historic truths, whereas the so-called Palestinian narrative is steeped in falsehood, deception and denial of historical truths.
Misguided antipathy toward the state of Israel and Zionism, as encouraged by groups like J Street, bespeaks an urgent need for better education to foster a greater appreciation of Zionism as a fundamental and inseparable part of Judaism and Jewish values.
MARC CAROFF
Silver Spring
president, Louis D. Brandeis Chapter, Zionist Organization of America
Five previous attempts at two-state solution failed
The recent editorial on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s victory (“Netanyahu’s Victory,” WJW, March 26) uses the phrase “renunciation of support for a two-state solution.” It expresses concern that Netanyahu has handed the world proof that the Jewish state is not
serious about the peace process. However, it fails to provide any background why Netanyahu stated that a two-state solution, (TSS) is not now possible.
Netanyahu is aware of five previous attempts at a TSS — 1922, 1936, 1948, 2000 and 2008. All were rejected by Arabs/Palestinians. In 2009, he imposed a 10-month moratorium on building housing in existing settlements, but failed to attain a TSS.
Palestinians refuse to recognize and acknowledge a Jewish State of Israel. They insist on right-of-return of some 5 million Palestinians into the land. They demand eastern Jerusalem as their capital even though throughout history, Jerusalem was only another town conquered by Muslim elements. They insist on the indefensible 1967 Armistice Borders as a boundary. They continue incitement to violence in their schools, mosques, TVs and newspapers, and glorify suicide bombers, providing income to their families. They are vociferous in worldwide attempts to de-legitimizing Israel, at the United Nations and through the BDS movement. Experts predict that a Palestinian state on the West Bank would be taken over by Hamas, completing a semicircle of enemies sworn to Israel’s elimination.
The Middle East is in turmoil. Saudi Arabia has taken military action in Yemen. Netanyahu sees the American government denying Egypt promised military equipment needed to fight terrorism in the Sinai and negotiating with Iran over its nuclear weapons. Is it any wonder that Netanyahu stated that a two-state solution is not now possible?
WARREN MANISON
Potomac
Wiesel is owed gratitude
We owe Prof. Elie Wiesel tremendous gratitude for having taught the world what really happened in the hell of Auschwitz and other murder camps (Letter to the editor by Gideon Donnelly, WJW, March 12).
It is thanks to his initiative and lecturing about the horror of the Holocaust that many other survivors had the courage to speak about their own experiences. That he sold his books is only right, but to mention the criminal acts of Bernard Madoff in this connection is despicable. I am afraid that without the acts of Prof. Wiesel the world would forget the history of the Holocaust — already now, just 70 years after the greatest crime in the history of mankind was committed, there are those who never heard about it, never knew about it, or are outright denying that the Holocaust ever happened. I
assume that Donnelly has never been persecuted and has not lived through the era of 1933 to 1945.
JOANNA NEUMANN
Silver Spring
Mikulski is Hadassah lifetime member
The otherwise fine feature article on retiring Sen. Barbara Mikulski’s ties to the Jewish community (“With Mikulski’s retirement, community loses ally,” WJW, March 12) forgot to mention that she is a lifetime member of Hadassah! How many other non-Jewish female senators can make that claim?
MARA D. ATRASH
College Park
Wiesel is not the only writer on the Holocaust- just the best self-promoter. His choice of Madoff as investment adviser was his own, displaying his lack of insight regarding character. Ms. Neumann’s defense of Wiesel is analogous to saying “Mussolini made the trains run on time.”
Readers of the WJW should be aware that right-wing hardliner Manison
defended the Mormon practice of posthumously baptizing Jews including Holocaust victims, claiming that (August 29,2012 letter “lack of understanding”) the intent of such activity was “not to convert but to honor the memory” of the decedent. That tells you all you need to know about his priorities and values!
Wiesel is a BFF of Shemuely Boteach, and Boteach is God.