Letters to the Editor, August 18, 2003

I have been reading through web sites that Israel is building a 20 plus foot wall to divide Israel from Palestine while confiscating Palestinian land. My question is why haven't the media hounds here in the US mentioned or even denounced this wall? I can't believe the Israelis have the godforsaken nerve to do something is abominable. You would think those Israelis would know better. Something is very rotten in Israel and it's not the garbage.

Jesus Christ, the Israelis are doing to the Palestinians what Hitler did to Jews. What's next I ask? Gas chambers, ovens, death trains. Seems to me the Israelis are building large concentration camps around Palestinian territory.

Heck I'd be pissed off too if Canada or Mexico decided to confiscate land from us and then build a wall. It's no wonder the Palestinians are doing what they're doing.

Why aren't the leaders of the free world outrage over this?
Why is this wall being allowed to be built with American tax payer's money?
I bet if more Americans knew about this wall ... would hit the fan in the White House.
How the hell does Ariel Sharon think he is Hilter.?
God if there is justice let that murderer Sharon know that there is justice for the meek, the faint hearted and the oppressed. For they shall inherit the earth.

Adiaris, USA

The community of Russian (non-Jewish) national minority in The State of Israel is appealing to you in this letter.

Recently we have read in the press about forced serializations of Roma women in Slovakia and this fact have caused wide response and protest of international community.

So, why mass media so peacefully and silently accept the fact of almost forced conversion into Judaism of thousands Russian Christians in Israel ? Do you know that ethnic (non-Jewish) Russians are not called here as Israeli citizens of Russian nationality, but as "non-Jews" ? Even the minister of Israeli Interior Ministry is using in his speech an insulting nickname for non-Jews - "goyim".

We are, non-Jews, completely deprived of rights on our own public (non-political) associations, on community and cultural centers, national schools and cemeteries. The state is conducting toward us a strict policy of forced assimilation by all possible means. We are turned to be the adherents of Judaism by the promises of getting equal civil rights with the Jewish population.

As soon as we`ve started the attempts to express in Israeli mass media our disagreement with such policy of the government toward non-Jews - we underwent through the information blockade. De-facto we are not allowed to express ourselves on radio, television and in newspapers our articles are not published.

We ask you to turn your attention on outrageous violation of human rights in Israel, on the right of people to have their own ethnicity, public associations, to keep their cultural heritage. We are ready to present for your attention all appropriate documents and proofs regarding this issue.

We need your help, we need all people of good will in this world to know about an unjust attitude of official Israel toward national minority living in this country.

To the editor:

I am pleased to see more and more letter contributors are including their name and address! In the past this was not the case. Maybe the sheep are stirring and are tired of being "shorn" by G.W. Bush! I often wondered if they completely forgot their guaranteed freedom of speech. Of course with Ashcroft lurking nearby, I would be reluctant to sign my name if I was an Arab American, sad isn't it?

I am outraged over the actions of Mr. Sharon in regards to the 90 miles of the wall already constructed around settlements and cities on Palestinian land. The construction of this wall would have been impossible without the aid we give Israel each year. $10 billion in aid has been earmarked this year, most of which is in the form of a guaranteed loan. Israel has never repaid any of the previous guaranteed loans, rather they were changed to a grant and forgiven. Over the years we have given Israel $134 billion in foreign aid, while Mr. Bush just gave Prime minister Abbas a paltry $20 "million" in aid! Our tax money going to Israel over the years has enabled Israel to build cities and settlements on Arab land and build one of the worlds most modern and powerful armies. Tanks have crushed hundreds of Palestinian cars plus with the help of bull-dozers destroyed over two thousand Palestinian homes. Small children have been shot and killed while throwing stones at the invading tanks. It is time for the U.S. to stop all aid to Israel and become more even handed in dealing with this most serious of Mid-East problems!

John R. Cummings
Deepwater, Mo.

Uncle Samson

Do you see what I see? A WWII -type Uncle Sam, sleeves rolled up, muscles bulging, ready to go to work, with Arnold's face. Why are people all excited? Arnold's A MAN! And all we've been getting are whimps. Look at the biceps of Davis, Simon and McClintock (did I spell that right? I don't care).

Do you see us in a civil war in America - left against right? Do you see the Recall in California as our Battle of Gettysburg? We have a chance to elect a Republican and Dennis Prager is ambivalent! And his advisor for the senate who was on his radio show the other day was also ambivalent. I see two rabbis sitting at an outdoor cafe in Berlin during the Weimar republic discussing their ambivalence just before the election of '32.

I've listened to Rush. So what if Warren Buffet is on Arnold's team. Arnold is in charge. Arnold also has George Schultz on is team. George was Reagan's Secretary of State. Also Nixon's. It's interesting that Arnold said he's assembling a "world-class" team. Remember my alluding to a world-class job for Arnold after he has California executive experience. I have this feeling that it is written that Arnold will be the next governor.

Harold Reimann
Lucerne Valley, CA, USA

I would like to point out some glaring omission's from Ms Heard's commentary (Israel gets the green light), omission's that mask Arab, and other investors involvement with the Iridium Satellite Israel consortium:

"According to CEO of Iridium Satellite Israel (GayaCom) Ami Schneider, the order was placed by a Jordanian company,..." "Iridium Satellite Israel is owned by Iridium Satellite Solutions' regional operators in Turkey, Greece, Cyprus, Eastern Europe, and East Africa, and a group of investors headed by Schneider."

"Several Israeli firms have already been contacted by Jordanian companies, who require their neighbor's expertise and funding. The Jordanian firms have asked the Israelis to enter joint ventures as silent partners, reported Yedioth Aharonot. " --albawaba

As for my address, unfortunately, because of the nature of the subject matter, I have intentionally limited my personal information to Name & Citizenship for personal and family security reasons. However, I do welcome communication from you or Ms Heard on this topic via email or in print.

Yours

Robert Dotson, USA

Redress for Iraq War victims

I am a Human Rights lawyer based in Strasbourg and I am very interested in the present situation in Iraq.

A few weeks ago, I was speaking privately and conversationally, to one of the judges of the European Court of Human Rights and he appeared to agree with my suggestion that the legal responsibilities of the UK, Italy, Spain and any other member states of the Council of Europe under the European Convention on Human Rights also now extends to Iraq, since these states are members of the so-called Coalition Provisional Authority which is presently governing Iraq and they could therefore be held jointly and severally liable for any human rights violation committed by the CPA regime, of which there of course, now seems to be considerable evidence. Liability would also apply in respect of the conduct of U.S. citizens as members of the CPA, even though it would not be possible to sue the U.S. government itself, in the ECHR. This surely has interesting possibilities.

I don't want to come across sounding like an "ambulance-chaser" but I am certainly prepared to represent Iraqi victims of CPA human rights violations on a no win/no fee basis.

The damages I have in mind are, quite frankly, $10 million for each dead victim on the basis that this is the settlement demanded of Libya in respect of the Lockerbie victims. It is in marked contrast to the paltry few hundred dollars that the U.S. military has grudgingly offered the families of victims in has killed in "blood money". I don't of course, hold out much hope for anything even remotely approaching this, but colleagues seem to think that mine is a fairly persuasive argument. If it achieves little else, it further exposes the unutterable cant, hypocrisy and double standards that are being applied here.

If you are able to put me in touch with the families of any victims of U.S./CPA human rights abuses, I will be very pleased to to do all that I can to help them, if only by bringing those directly responsible to justice.

With best wishes,

John Rhys-Burgess