Look in the mirror
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, if you’re looking for who is responsible for the current situation in Lebanon, look in the mirror (“Guterres: Lebanon can’t become another Gaza,” June 23).
The UN Security Council passed a resolution, number 1701, which prohibits all armed militias from operating anywhere in Lebanon. In the words of the resolution, which passed in 2006, there shall be “no weapons or authority in Lebanon other than that of the Lebanese state.”
Meanwhile, UNIFIL has been present since 1978 and has done absolutely nothing to prevent armed conflicts in that area. If you want to prevent a destructive armed conflict in Lebanon, reinforce UNIFIL and give it the orders, personnel and equipment to enforce Resolution 1701. If you aren’t going to do your job, at least be quiet to avoid bringing attention to your incompetence.
HAIM SHALOM SNYDERPetah Tikva
Take charge
“After Rafah, what’s next in Gaza?” (June 21) emphasizes that every time our soldiers conquer a section of Gaza and then leave, Hamas just moves back in. What we should do to prevent that is to move into such areas that we have cleaned out and set up a military government over that limited area, and then repeat that in every area we conquer.
In every one of those Israeli military enclaves, the IDF should take charge of the area, as well as the distribution of food and other supplies to the so-called civilians, and not allow Hamas to take the supplies and sell them or keep them for themselves.
If we replace Hamas while still penetrating Gaza militarily and clearing more and more areas above ground and below ground, we may stand a chance of making Hamas obsolete and ineffective. We may even gain the support of those not-so-innocent Gazan civilians to help us identify the location of the hostages.
The time to set up an Israeli military government in Gaza is now, while the war continues.
SHIMON GALITZERJerusalem
Deepest in our hearts
Shmuley Boteach’s “Parents of IDF soldiers: The terror that grips us” (June 19) was so well-written, despite going against his wife not wanting him to express his views on this subject. It was so illuminating, so true, completely capturing what is deepest in our hearts at this time.
Yes, I have been very anxious about my two Israeli-born grandsons fighting in the IDF, tremble before reading of the tragic deaths of fallen soldiers, and dread how the hostages must feel, but we must continue to live in hope and prayer.
Looking forward to your next column.
JOY COLLINSBnei Dror
Biblical fashion
Dear Shmuley, my friend, in true biblical fashion you are questioning the Lord’s actions regarding the state of the world, as it well appears to be tottering on its very axis.
There is a story which is told and it applies to today, as well, as it is truly relevant to our people’s long, troubled history. Because of the terrible state of Jewish affairs in the world, the Jews decided to put God on trial. They ranted and raved about all the injustices and downright unfairness of the claims against the Jewish people.
After an hour, one fellow slammed his hand on the table and proclaimed: “Time for the Mincha [afternoon] prayer!” And thus the quorum began the service. We can question and continually search for answers, but the Jewish soul relies on faith in that same God, bringing us a measure of comfort.
RUBY RAY KARZENJerusalem
Poignantly written
What an amazing, beautiful article by Gil Troy, “Get married! Choose life” (June 19), telling the devastated daughter of a fallen IDF soldier: “Plunge ahead! Get married! Live life!” It is so poignantly written, and backed up by the writer’s loss of his own father before the wedding of one of his sons.
He goes on to encourage her to continue with plans for the wedding, regardless if now or postponed until a time after the 30 days of deep mourning.
He continues to talk to her about the ongoing war, the horrendous political situation, the in-fighting among government officials, and, alludes to the holier-than-thou United States, which fervently believes that two states will fix all. Of course, he tells her, now more than ever, we can’t have a terrorist entity on any of our borders, and certainly not as a sovereign state.
To help her understand the importance of marrying, starting a family, and carrying on in this crazy, beautiful, and Jewish country, he encourages her to dance, release yellow balloons, cry and laugh, and always remember the tradition and legacy of her father, and the brave soldiers who gave their lives to protect us all.
We also had a wedding and a birth of a great-granddaughter during this war, and we did cry, laugh, dance, and sing. Under the chuppah, we remembered the kidnapped, the fallen, and those still on the front lines. And we reveled in the birth of that baby bringing us joy that left us all breathless. I wish this on all my fellow Israelis.
My blessing to you, Hodaya, is: You and your husband should live 120 years with love, joy, celebrations, and lots of little Jewish children, and carry your brave dedicated father Elon always in your heart, amen.
DEBRA FORMANModi’in
An accurate picture
In “Gaps between polls” (June 19), Ori Wertman writes: “The million-dollar question is, of course, which of the polls presents an accurate picture of reality?” Well, the answer is, quite clearly: None of them.
Of course, polls can only give a very limited picture of what the situation might be at a particular point in time, and even then with a significant statistical margin of error. But if opinion polling is to have any value whatsoever, it needs to be as non-partisan and reliable as possible, which, according to Wertman, it quite clearly is not.
In addition, research by psephologists has shown that rather than illustrating the current state of affairs regarding voting intentions, polls have been seen to actually influence voters and their voting behavior. Indeed it is quite common in many democracies that polls are not published in the final days of the election campaign, for that very reason.
One wonders how pollsters continue to make a living, considering how precarious the business is.
ELLIE MORRISAseret