Wednesday, February 09, 2011 9:52 AM
Dear Letters Editor, Baltimore Sun:
Abe Novick's insistence that Israel is "the only democracy in the Middle East" ("Israel's right to be 'unsettled'" 2-9-11) betrays one reason as to why Israel is so fearful that democracies in surrounding countries will emerge. Israel's tenacious claim to this title, although fraudulent (it is in fact an ethnocracy, a Jewish-majority rule country), is something which is dragged out whenever it can be used to advantage. For Israel to be one (semi)-democracy in a sea of surrounding real democracies would not have much appeal.
Israel has no Constitution, as promised in its 1948 Declaration of Israel's Independence. (www.mideastweb.org/israeldeclaration.htm) Israel has also failed to live up to its promise in this same Declaration to " .. . promote the development of the country for the benefit of all its inhabitants ..." Just think of all the misery and destruction over the past 50+ years which could have been avoided had Israel lived up to these promises.
Mr. Novick goes on to cite statistics as to what percentage of surrounding countries have expressed unfavorable opinions of Jews. I suggest that he has used the wrong term here; it is not Jews that these people have unfavorable opinions of, but rather Zionists, and this includes many "Christians" who support Jewish settlements in the Occupied Territories. There are many Jews in Israel, and to a lesser degree in this country, who disapprove of the Israeli government's brutal oppression of the Palestinian people.
Muslims, Christians, and Jews had lived together harmoniously in Palestine before the onslaught of Zionists to the region. This could happen again, were equal rights allowed for all.
Doris Rausch
www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/readersrespond/bs-ed-israel-letter-20110207,0,1064726.story
baltimoresun.com
Israel right to be 'unsettled' by revolution in Egypt
2:24 PM EST, February 7, 2011
The article in The Baltimore Sun, "For Israel, change could be unsettling" (Feb. 5), accurately describes the trepidation the only democracy in the Middle East feels, in light of the recent tumultuous uprisings that have surrounded it.
However, part of the reason for that "unsettling" feeling might be because while most of the world heard about Tunisia's revolution, few are aware, as The Jerusalem Post reported, that unidentified assailants set fire to a synagogue in the town of Ghabes and burned Torah scrolls.
Or how, while embattled Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was defending his government against the anti-regime protesters, his aides began alleging the protesters were incited by Mossad.
Or how those same anti-regime protesters claim that Mr. Mubarak is an Israeli puppet and brandished placards with Mr. Mubarak's image plastered with Stars of David.
In fact, a Pew Research Center opinion survey of Arab attitudes toward Jews from June 2009 leaves little doubt: 95 percent of Egyptians, 97 percent of Jordanians and Palestinians and 98 percent of Lebanese expressed unfavorable opinions of Jews. Three quarters of Turks, Pakistanis and Indonesians also expressed hostile views of Jews.
While so much of the world has been condemning Israel (a country that offers its citizens, free speech, gender equality, gay rights, an open and critical press, an independent judiciary and fair and open elections), Arab dictators have been given a virtual pass.
Now, finally, the lid is coming off. Now hopefully some light will be shed.
Perhaps now the fact that the one democracy in the region and the one Jewish state that stands alone against 23 Arab states and 57 Muslim states whose populations are united in their hatred of Jews, interpreting the recent news as "unsettling" may be better understood.
Abe Novick, Towson
Copyright © 2011, The Baltimore Sun
Saturday, February 05, 2011
Dear Letters Editor, Baltimore Sun:
Re article, "For Israel, change could be unsettling" (2-5-10)
Israel's distress at the possibility of being surrounded by democratic nations is understandable, since Israel itself is not a democratic nation. It would then fear that the influence of these countries might promote a striving for democracy in their country. Israel, because of its insistence on a Jewish majority with non-Jews as second-class citizens, is definitively an ethnocracy. For example, if the U.S. were to declare this a "Christian" nation where power is allocated only to Christians, then we would be an ethnocracy. It is true that Israel allows Arab citizens to serve in the Knesset, but this is purely a cosmetic thing; they have no real power.
Israel has no Constitution, as promised in its 1948 Declaration of Israel's Independence. (www.mideastweb.org/israeldeclaration.htm) Israel has also failed to live up to its promise in this same Declaration to " .. . promote the development of the country for the benefit of all its inhabitants ..." Just think of all the misery and destruction over the past 50+ years which could have been avoided had Israel lived up to these promises.
Muslims, Christians, and Jews had lived together harmoniously in Palestine before the onslaught of Zionists to the region. This could happen again, were equal rights allowed for all.
Doris Rausch
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