JTA: The Global News Service of the Jewish People

10/17/09 02:33 PM

I am deeply saddened that Israel such vocal enemies as Roger Cohen. I’m sure that Mr. Cohen does not think of himself as a enemy of Israel, but the facts are plain. Consider that during every cease fire Hamas takes advantage to the lull in fighting to re-arm.  Consider that Iran’s president has, many times, declared that he would like to see Israel “wiped off the face of the map” and even once used the phrase that Israel “would be nothing more than a large, smoking crater”. Consider that Iran, according to all western countries, is working to obtain the weapons needed to carry out this threat. Tell me one more time, Mr. Cohen, why Israel should abandon her best weapons? And to say that Iran makes rational decisions? One only needs to look at the last election and the inhuman stomping that dissenters received to refute that statement. Maybe, if you are so in love with Iran, Mr. Cohen, you might consider moving your family there.

10/17/09 04:42 PM

Cohen calls for Israel’s destruction, while praising the nation that has, “vowed to wipe Israel off the map,” in their own words.  That nation that Cohen praises, Iran, is now enriching uranium to bomb-grade yellowcake.  Within a year, they will be able to mount a nuclear weapon on their Shihab-3 intercontinental ballistic missile.  If Jews have learned anything over the past 3,000 years, it’s that when a nation vows to destroy you and has the means to follow through with their threat, it will probably occur.  Meanwhile, Israel, a nation that has been attacked repeatedly by her neighbors, has never threatened the existence of any other nation. 

The threat of nuclear retaliation is the only reason that Israel exists today.  How else can a tiny nation of 6 million remain alive when surrounded by 1.5 BILLION enemies?  Hamas, Hizbollah and their proctor and arms supplier, Iran, openly vow to destroy the Jewish state.  This promise exists in their charters.  One can only say that Cohen is irrational, illogical and possibly insane. 

Charles Weinblatt
Author, Jacob’s Courage
http://jacobscourage.wordpress.com/

10/18/09 09:27 AM

The tragedy of the Holocaust must not be used, so casually and nonchalantly, invoked carelessly and milked the way it has been for so long, by so many, for cheap political gains. Its historical significance and dignity must be spared from frequent casual use, which has been the case, as it cheapens it and makes it look like a trite scapegoat, used yet again to justify unjustified acts. Nuclear weapons will only result, sooner or later, in the whole region acquiring them under the guise that Israel has them. Israel would be wise to make sure that no one in the region has them, but not by bombing them, but by taking from them the excuse of their need to have them because Israel has them. Israel has a lot of growing up to do, and the sooner it makes serious steps toward making real peace with the Palestinians, and not these waste-of-time stalling tactics and charades that we all know the purpose of, the more secure it will be. For everyone’s sake, including Israel and its children, peace must be desired, worked on, and achieved, to the satisfaction of all parties, otherwise every one loses, and everyone has lost so much already.

10/18/09 05:49 PM

Walid,
The only people who cheapen the Holocaust are the deniers like Ahmadinejad.  If anything, much of the rest of world didn’t learn enough about it, given the genocides that have taken place since: Rawanda, Darfur, etc. 
I understand your point about a nuclear arms race in the Middle East, but I disagree.  Israel is a tiny country surrounded by enemies and potential enemies.  Theoretically, the Arabs could destroy Israel with enough conventional weapons, mainly missiles.  The fanatics who rule Iran must understand that the price of attacking Israel is too high, even for them and the low value they place on the lives of their own civilians.  If Israel forsakes its (suspected) nukes, it increases the chances of an all-out attack: Hamas, Hezbollah and Syria simultaneously, all supported by Iran.  Walid, you also overlook the fact that the Arabs don’t have to fear Israel attacking them for pure conquest.  They only need nukes if they want to destroy Israel.  If they leave Israel alone, Israel will happily leave them alone.  I would add that, even if Israel and the Arabs renounced nukes, I wouldn’t trust half those Arab/Persian governments as far as I could spit.  The more repressive and fanatic the government, the more they lie.  This has been true for thousands of years, and never more true today.

10/18/09 10:52 PM

Mr Kolsky,
The police of New York always had firearms.  Perhaps, you are thinking of London.

Mrs Mavrikos,
There are only 2 types of Jews.  Those who wish to divide Jews, and those who don’t.  It seems to me that almost all of the Jews who post here are of the first type.

Everyone else,
While I think Mr. Cohen is incorrect, he isn’t an enemy, and to write that he is, is to take on the part of Acher and the kapos.  Be ashamed.

10/19/09 03:16 AM

Stuart,
I could say there are two types of people: those who pigeonhole everyone into categories and those who don’t.  But that would be very ironic of me.