A painful reality
The reason so many people in Israel are against the hostage deal has nothing to do with politics, though Susan Hattis Rolef suggests that it does (“A bumpy hostage deal,” January 20).
It’s simply because our nation is in the midst of an existential war with Hamas and their allies, who have vowed to simply destroy our nation. Hamas is only interested in either chasing all Jews from Israel, or killing us all in order to make sure we will never come back.
The last thing on its mind is peace. The only way to deal with such a movement is to keep on fighting them and not by releasing more of their members who will go on killing us. This has nothing to do with messianic hopes but with a painful reality that has not been recognized by so many people in our country, especially the ones associated with the Left.
To suggest that the politicians who are rejecting this deal might have thought differently had the hostages belonged to communities established in Judea and Samaria is not only cynical, as Hattis Rolef admits, it’s also completely untrue. It also shows the level of distrust in our politicians who are suspected of playing politics with the lives of Jewish people. How sad.
MOSHE ROSENBAUM
Jerusalem
His message
Regarding “Trump: I was ‘saved by God’ to rescue America” (January 21), this headline sums up his message to the world: chutzpah and egotism.
God save Israel and America.
GERSHON LEVITAN
octobeBeit Shemesh
Uncivilized barbarians
Regarding “Two possible scenarios” (January 21): I can quite understand that the hearts of the ladies of Women Wage Peace seek the end of war and bloodshed. However, have they asked themselves if the Palestinians really want an end to war and bloodshed?
To this day, Palestinian Authority head Mahmoud Abbas maintains his pay-for-slay policy and Hamas has not altered its plans to continue its fight to obliterate Israel from off the face of the earth.
Terror attacks have not ceased and anti-Israel rhetoric is spewed forth without stop. In this climate, do you think it wise to believe that our hand extended in friendship will be accepted? Our prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is absolutely right that Hamas must be completely obliterated from Gaza. These uncivilized barbarians will never stop wanting to kill, first, us Jews and then go on to slaughter all those who are not Muslim.
If we allow them to reconstruct, we can be sure we will face more October 7s in the future. The only possible scenario for the present is to ensure every last member of Hamas in Gaza is either eliminated or removed to another country.
I might add that we must never pay Gazan civilians to emigrate, which is against international law. However, it is our legal duty to provide safe haven in third-party countries to hold civilian non-combatants temporarily until the end of the conflict. Those countries that refuse to host Gazan civilians are in breach of international law and, if they feel genocide is being committed, are themselves complicit.
EDMUND JONAH
Rishon Lezion
The alternative of reaching a comprehensive deal to return all hostages and end the war is suggested as a viable option. I have to ask: have any wars ever been won or truly ended without a true desire on both sides to turn swords into plowshares?
Is there any evidence that the Palestinians, including Fatah (the PA) and Hamas, are truly open to ending the war? There isn’t, which is why the war won’t end until the PA is replaced and Hamas is no more.
BARRY LYNN
Efrat
The fundamental right
Having just read “Putting our own needs first” by Uri Pilichowski (January 19), I have to ask which planet he is on. Israel is about to release hundreds of convicted terrorists from prison in a surrender unknown in any other country. A fundamental principle of Zionism is indeed the right of the Jewish people to determine their own future, as Pilichowski writes.
However, it’s definitely not by making agreements with Arab countries which have to be bribed by the US to sign a normalization agreement that is dependent upon Israel giving Jewish land to the non-existent Palestinians for their own state.
The fundamental right of Israel was to declare full Jewish sovereignty throughout the land and build and settle it for the Jewish people, who would have made sure there was never a Hamas massacre or any of the other atrocities our people have suffered by Arab terrorism.
EDITH OGNALL
Netanya
Utterly and miserably failed
During World War Two, the International Committee of the Red Cross utterly and miserably failed the Jewish people in Europe. So I expected no better from them after October 7, 2023.
They made no meaningful contact with any of our hostages. They did not even receive a list of who was in captivity, either dead or alive, even though they have an office in Gaza, and despite many requests by Israelis.
This week, I was horrified to see that after all their inactivity, the ICRC had been given the responsibility to accompany our precious hostages from the dungeons of Hamas to freedom in Israel (“3 hostages leave Gaza as ceasefire takes hold,” January 20).
We all watched in fear on Sunday as the transfer of the three women from Hamas to the ICRC took place amid a terrifying scene, as the women attempted to make their way the few feet between the Hamas and ICRC vehicles.
The Red Cross officials made no attempt to restrain these armed animals as they even climbed to the roof of ICRC vehicles. By some miracle our hostages entered the vehicle safely, and were ultimately taken to Israeli custody.
Are we really going to allow the ICRC to be put “in charge” of the next exchange?
BARBARA ANN PFEFFER
Rehovot