To the Editor:
Re “It’s Time for the U.S. to Give Israel Some Tough Love,” by Thomas L. Friedman (column, Dec. 23):
For all of the hand-wringing and empty rhetoric over the battle in Gaza, Mr. Friedman has been one of many few voices of sanity and logic. One can solely hope that the White Home stops digging itself additional into the quagmire created by Israel’s insane management and implements his attraction for a rational strategy to ending the horror.
It’s such an easy, logical strategy: whole Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, the return of all hostages and a everlasting cease-fire beneath worldwide supervision. Mr. Friedman argues persuasively that Hamas’s chief, Yahya Sinwar, must confront the catastrophe in Gaza he created.
Israel has lengthy been held to absurd requirements confronted by few different international locations, however that’s actuality — which isn’t to excuse the excesses which have resulted in so many unnecessary deaths in Gaza. Israel and the U.S. merely can’t afford our rising isolation. It’s time to finish the madness, and Mr. Friedman offers a transparent path … if solely individuals would pay attention.
Mark Schannon
Tucson, Ariz.
To the Editor:
It’s the Palestinian management that wants powerful love, not Israel. Hamas diverted hundreds of thousands of {dollars} of help to armed battle, whereas a lot of its high leaders dwell overseas in luxurious.
The corrupt and incompetent Palestinian Authority spends a lot of its funds on its “pay for slay” coverage that rewards terror assaults. These two Palestinian factions agree on just one factor: their obsession with destroying Israel. They’ve rejected each peace course of and indoctrinate for limitless battle.
Solely Israel has made concessions. It withdrew from Gaza in 2005. It handed over governance of the West Financial institution to the Palestine Liberation Group after the Oslo Accords. It was “rewarded” with extra terror and rocket assaults, and extra political warfare.
How lengthy will it take to cease blaming Israel for the results of Palestinian rejectionism? How lengthy will it take to carry Palestinian leaders chargeable for their corruption and violence?
Doron Lubinsky
Atlanta
To the Editor:
Re “Netanyahu Vows to Keep Up Fight, Despite Criticism” (entrance web page, Dec. 18):
To realize its purpose of destroying the navy functionality of Hamas, Israel can’t keep away from unintentionally inflicting civilian casualties in Gaza as a result of Hamas is so deeply embedded in and beneath all facets of civilian infrastructure. To additional hinder the Israel Protection Forces’ efforts to guard civilians, many Hamas fighters eschew uniforms to make themselves indistinguishable from civilians.
Amid the mounting civilian casualties in Gaza, the U.S. is urging Israel to cut back its navy operations. Britain and Germany are calling for a sustainable cease-fire.
Israel can inform the worldwide neighborhood that it’ll settle for a cease-fire in Gaza beneath the next two situations:
1) The entire hostages have to be launched earlier than a cease-fire can start.
2) The aim of the cease-fire will likely be to barter the disarmament of Hamas and its expulsion from Gaza.
After each situations have been glad, the cease-fire will develop into sustainable. At the moment, the U.S., the European Union, the Palestine Liberation Group, the Arab League and Israel can start to barter the long run governance and reconstruction of Gaza.
Theodore Sheskin
Queens
Defending Immigrant Kids From Harmful Labor
To the Editor:
Re “Children Facing Peril and Death in Roofing Jobs” (entrance web page, Dec. 17):
Roofing, and the development enterprise as a complete, is one more harmful business that exposes kids to life-threatening conditions that youngster labor legal guidelines purpose to forestall.
These harrowing accounts of weak youth expose an evident failure within the enforcement of these legal guidelines, which calls for pressing consideration from the federal authorities and related companies. To safeguard kids’s well-being, the Labor Division have to be held accountable. It should even be offered enough assets to assist its important work.
One other highly effective software to maintain immigrant kids out of unlawful, exploitative labor situations is entry to authorized illustration. Providing them authorized assist actively combats exploitation by serving to them know their proper to be shielded from hazard.
Such assist additionally helps kids acquire entry to the U.S. safety for which they might be eligible, in addition to authorized and protected employment alternatives.
Serving to kids discover legal professionals and giving them a good probability to make their case in immigration courtroom, as offered by the not too long ago launched bipartisan, bicameral Immigration Court Efficiency and Children’s Court Act, can stop extra of the horrors described on this devastating article.
Wendy Younger
Washington
The author is president of the nonprofit Children in Want of Protection (KIND).
Reasonably priced Housing and Windowless Bedrooms
As an architect, I’ve been taught that entry to pure mild is an inalienable proper. However as somebody involved about each the housing disaster on this metropolis and the local weather disaster, I’ve rethought my place on windowless bedrooms.
So long as every room has correct mechanical air flow, and each condo has pure mild in the lounge, kitchen and eating room, I’m OK with windowless bedrooms.
We now have no different real looking option to improve housing and permit extra individuals to dwell affordably within the metropolis. We now have too few flats and a glut of workplace house that may’t be transformed primarily based on the prevailing guidelines. City dwelling is extra vitality environment friendly than single-family housing and driving.
Making life within the metropolis extra reasonably priced is without doubt one of the greatest methods to battle local weather change. It wouldn’t harm New York both.
To the Editor:
Re “Knitting Helps Us Embrace Life’s Messy Imperfections” (Opinion video, nytimes.com, Dec. 26):
As a lifelong knitter who can’t think about a day with out selecting up her needles, or the occasional crochet hook, I can say that Samantha Moore confirmed the world what knitting does for the thoughts and physique. That is one thing I’ve tried to clarify to non-knitters eternally.
Knitting is my yoga, my drug, my good friend. Once I really feel out of kinds, these two sticks and string assist me get again on observe. It’s the meditative movement of my arms creating one thing.
The fiber neighborhood is a spot the place we collect in teams or meet up at coffeehouses or fiber festivals, “ooh” and “aah” over one another’s initiatives, assist one another regardless of the talent degree, and perceive the particular spoken and physique language we share.
Knitting has develop into a serious a part of my life, bringing me pleasure, peace and neighborhood. My mom taught me how one can knit after I was a bit lady. Thanks, Mother.
Robin Migdol Freiman
Yorktown Heights, N.Y.
