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View Full Version : My letter to the Jerusalem Post - COMMENT PLZ




MicroBalrog
09-03-2007, 07:05 PM
jtobin@jewishexponent.com
letters@jpost.com

Dear Sir!

I am an avid reader of the Jerusalem Post, which I normally buy at stands near the Tel-Aviv University. I also read it on your website. I especially enjoy the columns by Daniel Doron, who is undoubtedly one of Israel’s greatest economic minds. However, recently, something happened that caused me to lose my faith in the Jerusalem post.

Namely, I have dug through the Jersualem Post website to find – very belatedly – an article titled ‘View fromAmerica’, by Jonathan Tobin. It read, as follows:

On Israel itself, outside of fringe candidates like the wacky right-wing libertarian Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) and the leftist Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio), there isn't too much daylight between the candidates on support for Israel's right of self-defense…

I am surprised at this misrepresentation of Ron Paul’s views. Congressman Paul did not in fact ever make a statement questioning Israel’s right of self-defense, or the right of any nation for self-defense. The fact that he opposes American ‘aid’ to Israel does not mean, by any stretch of the imagination, that ‘Ron Paul hates Jews’.

American ‘aid’ to Israel is not beneficial to Israel – Israel could achieve the same results by cutting the disastrous overspending in its military budget on various bureaucratic fat. That would be ever better, because then Israel would be able to spend the money on any products the IDF saw fit, rather then simply allow Congress to subsidize America’s military industries by buying shiny (and completely useless) military toys like the F-22 for Israel.

It amazes me that anybody would seriously believe that ending handouts from the US government equals opposing Israel’s right to self-defense. The Israeli government does not subsidize the Jerusalem Post. Does this mean the Jerusalem Post has been denied it’s right to freedom of speech?

Binyamin Netanyahu, the leader of the Likud party, lobbied in Washington for a reduction of American aid. Moshe Feiglin favors a reduction in American aid and 30% reduction in Israel’s own defense budget. Are you implying that Netanyahu opposes Israel’s right to self-defense?

What this amounts to is not a mere biased report of a candidate’s political view. This amounts to a complete departure from facts and truth intended to smear a legitimate candidate.

While we are at it, what exactly is it that makes Ron Paul – who raised more money and does better in the polls then McCain – a ‘fringe’ candidate? What is it that makes him so ‘crazy’? Is it his libertarian views? Is it the Post’s editorial stance to imply that it’s libertarian viewers – and its own libertarian contributors, like the esteemed Daniel Doron – insane?

This is not the standard of quality reporting I am familiar with from the Jerusalem Post. I am extremely disappointed. I believe I am not the only reader of the Post who is.

Sincerely yours,
Boris Karpa,
Ashdod, Israel

DesertWarlord
09-03-2007, 08:20 PM
The USA gives tons of aid to Egypt every year as well, as well as Saudi Arabia - hardly nations closely aligned with Israel, and in the case of Saudi Arabia, directly linked to the funding of terrorists.

I personally am not a big supporter of US aid to Israel - it harms the United States by opening the door to anti-Semitic allegations that the United States is controlled by Jews, Israel doesn't need the aid, which could better be used on our own shitty schools or helping starving Mexicans, and the strings attached to the aid, such as having to buy a certain proportion of American equipment to the detriment of the Israeli arms industries, actually harm Israel.

In addition, the aid packages give the USA a large amount of influence over Israel. For example, the US has urged Israel not to attempt diplomatic negotiations with Syria. U.S. aid to Israel is also one of the main reasons we have a terrorist problem.

Cutting off foreign aid to Israel would not harm Israel; it would help America. Israel is not some third world hellhole in Africa where children starve in the streets, or like Mexico where standards of living are so bad that Mexicans swarm in here by the millions to find a better life. We could alleviate that problem by taking the aid we're giving to Israel to buy American weapons, and giving that aid to Mexico so they can build things like factories and cars and ships and grow good crops. It would kill two birds with one stone.

I don't consider myself an anti-Semite for advocating that US aid to Israel be cut off. I also don't think it's anti-Arab to suggest that aid to Arab countries be made conditional on them making some effort to fight terrorism in their borders, either - which might be a good idea, it would keep US money out of the hands of terrorists.

constituent
09-03-2007, 08:32 PM
i think you've hit on something important here, and that is the neverending pattern of our military industrial complex funding both sides of wars so that
they can always be at war, always need new guns and bombs. The corporations always turning a profit, factories runing always at capacity.

not to mention population control, underhanded real estate dealings (just kill 'em). the list goes on and on and on and on forever.

that's why foreign aid must end.

Hook
09-03-2007, 08:33 PM
Yeah, we just gave something like $20,000,000,000 worth of weapons to Saudi Arabia. Then we give Israel tons of millitary hardware. This helps the war profiteers, but no one in the middle east. We should let them work out their problems rather than us bossing everyone around.

james1906
09-03-2007, 08:38 PM
The J Post is more like the Jingoist Post. If you don't know Hebrew, it's the only newspaper you can read.

MicroBalrog
09-03-2007, 08:40 PM
The J Post is more like the Jingoist Post. If you don't know Hebrew, it's the only newspaper you can read.

And Ha'aretz. Which is crap.

Cowlesy
09-03-2007, 08:43 PM
Paul was in Congress when Israel bombed Iraq’s Osirak nuclear plant in 1981 and — unlike the United Nations and the Reagan administration — defended its right to do so.

Hook
09-03-2007, 08:56 PM
Paul was in Congress when Israel bombed Iraq’s Osirak nuclear plant in 1981 and — unlike the United Nations and the Reagan administration — defended its right to do so.

I don't know if I would have agreed with that. But since it didn't involve us, I guess I wouldn't do much one way or the other.

james1906
09-03-2007, 09:02 PM
Israel's an independent country, no more, no less. When we treat them like a spoiled child, it compromises the sovereignty of both nations.

jj111
09-03-2007, 09:12 PM
Great ideas in your letter but much too long. Cut it down by 80% and it might make it in the letters to the editor.

Starks
09-03-2007, 10:01 PM
I'm sure the guys in AIPAC are thrilled about RP...

</sarcasm>

max
09-03-2007, 10:26 PM
The USA gives tons of aid to Egypt every year as well, as well as Saudi Arabia - hardly nations closely aligned with Israel, and in the case of Saudi Arabia, directly linked to the funding of terrorists.

I personally am not a big supporter of US aid to Israel - it harms the United States by opening the door to anti-Semitic allegations that the United States is controlled by Jews, Israel doesn't need the aid, which could better be used on our own shitty schools or helping starving Mexicans, and the strings attached to the aid, such as having to buy a certain proportion of American equipment to the detriment of the Israeli arms industries, actually harm Israel.

In addition, the aid packages give the USA a large amount of influence over Israel. For example, the US has urged Israel not to attempt diplomatic negotiations with Syria. U.S. aid to Israel is also one of the main reasons we have a terrorist problem.

Cutting off foreign aid to Israel would not harm Israel; it would help America. Israel is not some third world hellhole in Africa where children starve in the streets, or like Mexico where standards of living are so bad that Mexicans swarm in here by the millions to find a better life. We could alleviate that problem by taking the aid we're giving to Israel to buy American weapons, and giving that aid to Mexico so they can build things like factories and cars and ships and grow good crops. It would kill two birds with one stone.

I don't consider myself an anti-Semite for advocating that US aid to Israel be cut off. I also don't think it's anti-Arab to suggest that aid to Arab countries be made conditional on them making some effort to fight terrorism in their borders, either - which might be a good idea, it would keep US money out of the hands of terrorists.


Foreign Aid to arab governments is actually an extension of foreign aid to Israel. The quid-pro-quo is this...we'll give you billions of dollars if you'll ignore Israel's abuse of your palestinian brothers.

max
09-03-2007, 10:27 PM
Israel's an independent country, no more, no less. When we treat them like a spoiled child, it compromises the sovereignty of both nations.

Israel is not our "spoiled child"...It is our overbearing daddy.

MicroBalrog
09-04-2007, 01:29 AM
I'm sure the guys in AIPAC are thrilled about RP...




AIPAC is a political group. They think throwing government money atIsrael will help us.

I am not a member nor a donor for AIPAC, ADL, AJC, or any other idiotic groups that claim to represent 'the Jews'.

Nefertiti
09-04-2007, 06:15 AM
I don't consider myself an anti-Semite for advocating that US aid to Israel be cut off. I also don't think it's anti-Arab to suggest that aid to Arab countries be made conditional on them making some effort to fight terrorism in their borders, either - which might be a good idea, it would keep US money out of the hands of terrorists.

Cut it off if you will, but please don't make it "conditional" on fighting "terrorism." A lot of innocent people get caught up in attempts to please the US and make the US think these governments are tough on terrorism. I have a friend whose husband died as a result of 911-and no he didn't die in the WTC or the Pentagon or on that flight over Pennsylvania. He died because he was caught up in a trumped up case by a certain government trying to make the US think it was being tough on terrorists and sat in prison for 18 months until he was acquitted, but while in prison developed cancer that didn't get treatment and by the time he got out, it was too advanced to treat and he is now dead. My friend still lives in that country, although she is a German citizen, and I do hope someday she is in a position to write a book about what happened to her because she has a talent for making brilliant observations on the hypocrisy of things like this and Middle Eastern politics in general.

If aid is given at all it should be done without any conditions.