Peace Now refuses to see reality
In an interview with Washington Jewish Week, Avi Buskila, the head of Peace Now, provides nothing new (“Respond to fears, says Peace Now head,” Feb. 2). He says Israel “needs an international border,” but borders mean nothing to Palestinians who believe that all of Israel is occupied territory. He says Israel “needs a peace treaty or agreement” which will “solve the situation,” but no one on the Palestinian side even speaks for all Palestinians, much less can enforce an agreement.
Whereas Israelis accept Arabs as neighbors, the Palestinians would deny Jews the right to live in their state. Whereas Israelis accept sharing Jerusalem, the Palestinians would bar Jews from East Jerusalem. Whereas Israelis accept Muslims praying on the Temple Mount, Palestinians deny any Jewish rights in the area.
Buskila mocks Israeli fears of Palestinian teenagers attacking Israelis, yet Israel’s weapons won’t revive Israelis killed by those teenagers. Those teenagers represent the heart, soul and psyche of Palestinian nationalism, who will kill anyone who stands in way.
Buskila believes in appeasement. Oslo failed; the Gaza disengagement failed. Why? The Palestinians demand it all — right of return and the destruction of the State of Israel. Nothing less will do.
Buskila’s rationality is the same thinking that led Jews to their deaths for more than 1,000 years. Buskila and others cannot fathom the evil that permeates generation after generation to kill Jews. It is not land. It is insatiable hate.
Buskila believes in compromise for peace, but Israel’s enemies do not compromise.
Peace Now’s problem is not their language, but their refusal to see reality.
MELVIN FARBER
Silver Spring
WJW march coverage showed gaps
The coverage of the Jan. 21 anti-Trump Women’s March on Washington was part of the Jan. 26 Washington Jewish Week (“In pink hats, women march on D.C.”). Your coverage completely missed two of the important parts of this march.
The first was the use of obscenities. So numerous and so obvious were the F-bombs that CNN had to apologize for covering
Madonna’s speech. She was not the only one using obscenities either. Furthermore, several of the march chants used the F-word.
In addition, another speaker at the event, Linda Sarsour, wished for sexual violence against another woman, Ayaan Hirsi Ali. The second was the trash. As many news outlets showed, piles of trash were left by the march and specifically they were left next to the White House fence and near the Trump Hotel — a form of vandalism.
The march you missed was the March for Life the next week. There were no obscenities used and no piles of trash left and no coverage by the WJW.
MARTIN WEISS
Potomac
Weiss condemns ” another speaker at the event, Linda Sarsour, (for) wishing for sexual violence against another woman, Ayaan Hirsi Ali. ”
According to the FORWARD (Feb. 22, 2017): “Muslim activists LINDA SARSOUR and Tarek El-Messidi have launched a crowdfunding campaign to support the repair of a St. Louis Jewish cemetery that was vandalized over the weekend — and the response has been overwhelming.
The campaign, which aimed to raise $20,000, exceeded its target in three hours — and had drawn more than $66,000 or more than triple its initial target by Wednesday morning.”