Madam, – The smart-alec tone of the “reply” by Chris Andrews TD (June 12th) to the powerful case for impartial media coverage of Israel’s interception of the flotilla made by ambassador Zion Evrony (Opinion, June 11th) can’t hide the deputy’s failure to repudiate the facts, logic and conclusion contained in Mr Evrony’s article.
One of the telling facts which Mr Andrews ignores is that the Mavi Marmara, the ship on which in the words of the ambassador, "the regrettable loss of life occurred" didn't carry any humanitarian aid. Other facts include the Mavi Marmara's response to the Israeli warning that it was approaching the blockade: "Shut up, go back to Auschwitz. Don't forget 9/11" and the determination of 40 operatives from IHH, a "charity" with established links to al-Qaeda and Hamas, who had boarded the ship at Istanbul without any security checks, to attack the Israeli commandos.
These and many other facts presented by Mr Evrony validate his warning against a rush to judgment that will be refuted by history. History will take a harsh view if we stand by while Israel’s right to defend itself is delegitimised by constant media coverage that is either too biased or too lazy to probe behind the propaganda and search for the truth.
We cannot take the risk that, once again, in this century the world will wake up when it’s too late for the Jews. Surrounded by enemies who have openly declared their objective of destroying the Jewish state, Israel’s right to defend its people must never be compromised.
While not always agreeing with The Irish Times coverage of Middle East affairs, I congratulate you on giving ambassador Mr Evrony the opportunity to put his case, especially at a time when so many seem determined to demonise Israel and exploit the unfortunate deaths aboard the Mavi Marmara to do so. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – Whatever anyone may think of the political situation between Hamas and the Israeli government, no one could doubt that the people of Gaza are suffering and are in need of essential supplies. These include all food, even the very grave security threats that are jam and candy, and any medical supplies these people need. The Israeli government either does not trust aid shipments from NGOs or they are taking too long sifting through each shipment therefore denying the Gaza people these supplies.
I would urge the Irish Government to send officially sealed containers of aid from the Irish people to Gaza and to put pressure on the EU as a whole to do the same. The Israeli government could not doubt the integrity of the Irish Government and the EU and they could rely on the safety of these containers.
If the Israeli government could not agree to a third-party aid supply solution such as this then we have to question the soundness of their principles. I realise the EU does currently send aid, but is this via the road network where it is subject to the massive tailback on goods entering Gaza through Israel? – Yours, etc,
Madam, – Denis Staunton (Weekend Review, June 5th), and Eamon Delaney (June 10th) both misquote Iranian President Ahmadinejad. Denis Staunton quotes him as having said that he “called for Israel to vanish from the pages of time”. Eamon Delaney has said that Ahmaddinejad was in favour of “wiping Israel off the map”.
There was considerable controversy about Ahmadinejad’s statement at the time but the mistranslation of what he actually said was clarified shortly after by the translators at the BBC World Service. That should have been the end of the matter, but for some the quote was just to good to give up. People are certainly entitled to their opinions about the Israeli/Palestine conflict, but they are not entitled to their own facts.
Ahmadinejad said no such thing and both writers should be careful not to add further fuel to the Israeli propaganda fire.
The Iranian president was quoting an ancient statement by Iran’s first Islamist leader, the late Ayatollah Khomeini, that “this regime occupying Jerusalem must vanish from the page of time” just as the Shah’s regime in Iran had vanished.
He was not making a military threat. He was calling for an end to the occupation of Jerusalem at some point in the future. The “page of time” phrase suggests he did not expect it to happen soon. There was no implication that either Khomeini, when he first made the statement, or Ahmadinejad, in repeating it, felt it was imminent, or that Iran would be involved in bringing it about.
This is a far cry from claiming that the state of Israel must vanish the pages of time or indeed off the map. – Yours, etc,