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July 23, 2004/Av 5 5764, Vol. 56, No. 44
Letters to the Editor
July 23, 2004
Good fences make good neighbors
Editor:
The International Court of Justice recently ruled that Israel's security fence "constitutes breaches by Israel of its obligations under the applicable humanitarian law" and that it "cannot be justified by military exigencies or by the requirements of national security or public order."
I respectfully disagree with the court for three reasons:
- When Palestinian leaders disarm and arrest terrorists and dismantle their organizations, a fence won't be needed. Until that time, Israel has a right to protect its citizens from attack.
- There have been more than 250 Palestinian terrorist attacks against Israeli citizens over the past three years. There is already a fence between Israel and Gaza, and not one suicide bomber has come from Gaza to kill Israeli children.
- The security fence is not the real issue. Recently, Israel offered to give the Palestinians all of Gaza and more than 90 percent of the West Bank, and to create a Palestinian state in exchange for peace, but Yasser Arafat rejected this offer.
Israel's fence is designed to save lives, not to establish de facto borders. And it is doing just that - saving lives.
Matt Lehrer
Tucson
Mrs. Hadassah
Editor:
I want to bring to your attention an oversight in the excellent article on Hadassah in Phoenix ("Not your grandma's Hadassah - it's yours," Jewish News, July 9). The year the organization came to the Valley of the Sun, my mother-in-law, Zena Sobol, brought 125 women onto the membership rolls. Thereafter, she was referred to as "Mrs. Hadassah." It is appropriate to retain the memories of those whose efforts were so focused on tzedakah and good works.
Paula A. Sobol
Phoenix
Letters to the editor must be 200 words or less; include the writer's first and last names; city of residence; and a phone number or e-mail address. All letters may be edited by Jewish News for content, style and space allowance.
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