Monday's Letters: Israel had no alternative over diverting Gaza flotilla

The Hamas regime in Gaza is at war with Israel. Israel is therefore entirely within its rights to try to stop arms and other materials useful in that conflict being brought into Gaza. Indeed, Israel has since the ceasefire last year allowed almost a ton of supplies for every man, woman and child in Gaza through its checkpoints. As Ross Kemp found in a recent television programme, there is no food shortage

in Gaza.

As the flotilla approached Gaza, the Israelis warned them not to attempt to enter Gaza and assured them that all genuine humanitarian supplies would be admitted through the checkpoints if the vessels entered the nearby port of Ashdod.

It was only after they refused to heed the Israeli warnings that the Israelis intervened to divert them to Ashdod.

Israel acted in accordance with international law: whether what she did was politically prudent can be debated. But so long as Hamas refuses to abandon its objective to destroy Israel, she has really no alternative.

From: John M Collins, Sandhill Oval, Leeds.

From: Martin D Stern, Hanover Gardens, Salford.

RAY Deans ("Contrasting views over Gaza convoy attack", Yorkshire Post, June 3) writes: "This attack is an act of piracy and/or a war crime and I must ask why does our Government stay so quiet about these criminal acts? If an attack like this had been carried out by Iran or North Korea, we would see our forces descending on those countries or at the very least our ambassador being withdrawn and sanctions put

in place."

North Korea torpedoed a South Korean ship a few weeks ago resulting in the deaths of more than 40 sailors aboard. As far as I am aware, apart from a few verbal condemnations, nothing further has been done by the international community.

Is Mr Deans advocating that in future Israel should simply torpedo any ships trying to reach Gaza or possibly mine its sea approaches with the same effect?

From: RW Bates, Rillington, Malton.

IN all the furore and emotive "lynch mob" comments (Yorkshire Post, June 3), two things need to be remembered. One is that the blockade of Gaza was not intended to prevent humanitarian aid from any source reaching the people of Gaza, and nor has it done so.

For example, in the first few months of 2010, some 95,000 tons of non-medical supplies and 1,000 tons of medical supplies were safely delivered into Gaza by the stated route of landing at Ashdod or other non Gaza ports for examination and forward transmission by road.

The reason for the blockade is an attempt to stop weapons of war and materials to make weapons of war from reaching Hamas, a terrorist organisation with the declared intent of destroying the sovereign democratic nation of Israel.

The other point is that in all the international calls for the blockade to stop, and however crude the blockade may seem, the international communities have not come up with an alternative method to prevent the smuggling of weapons into Gaza.

Make no mistake about it, if ships are allowed unfettered access directly into Gaza, then sophisticated weapons of war including vastly improved rockets will flood in as will well-trained troops to use them,. There is nothing to stop it. What will the international community have to say about that?

Don't let the easy money brigade go on

From: RC Curry, Adel Grange Close, Leeds.

JOHN Redwood's article (Yorkshire Post, June 1) raises the interesting topic which is exercising the minds of those who seek to benefit from lenient rates of some taxation.

The present wave of protests over capital gains tax should not deter the Government from its course of action to prevent any would be tax dodgers from escaping the net which ensnares the majority

of taxpayers.

There may be genuine cases of individuals deciding to try to save up for a pension in property. They probably do so on the assumption that the values of the properties will rise and provide them with a reasonable pension income.

However, other opportunists will do so with an eye to exploiting the present situation, either in higher rents or enhanced ultimate sales values; and in many cases the latter are indeed very gross.

The conventional method of saving for a pension by contributions was hit hard by Gordon Brown's punitive tax raid. It has never recovered, in fact it has deteriorated ever since. Some of these pensions are hugely below original anticipations, and have been totally lost in too many cases.

It will not be right for groups of responsible savers to be treated differently, but it would be wholly wrong for the speculators to get off lightly under some false pretext.

There is no quick fix to this problem, but let the Government make sure that it is not persuaded to ease off its determination to right wrongs, while not allowing the easy money brigade to carry on as they have been able to do during the Blair-Brown regime.

Integrity at Westminster

From: Bob Swallow, Townhead Avenue, Settle.

REGARDING the resignation of David Laws, I refer to the excellent letter from Mrs Hilda Claxton (Yorkshire Post, June 2).

Both the Prime Minister and his deputy have expressed the view that they hope to see David Laws reinstated to a place in government in the near future. Are they mad? This man is, to my mind, no better than a benefit cheat and deserves to be named and shamed as such.

Let us not forget that a large part of the problems of this country was caused by the banking sector where he made his money. The last thing we want is him back.

The Commons needs above all people of integrity, a commodity in increasingly short supply. For my money, those who betray the trust of the electorate should be debarred from carrying on as an MP. The difficulty would, of course, be that with so many by elections pending, the Government would grind to a halt, plus the cost would be astronomical.

From: David Pickering, Gloucester Road, Stonegravels,

Chesterfield.

I DO agree with the ideas made by the coalition Government in tackling the deficit, and also sorting out the welfare cheats.

I was in full employment in local government for 30 years until I was made compulsorily redundant. What did I do, sit on my backside, feel sorry for myself, claim welfare benefits?

No, I started my own business and have been trading for the past 15 years. Good luck to this coalition Government, I hope it works and maybe sometime in the future I could be voting for one of these two parties.

From: Malcolm Hanson, Bachelor Road, Harrogate.

HOW can your correspondent David Woosnam (Yorkshire Post, June 1) complain about David Cameron, David Laws and the Cabinet when he was one of the "lemmings" who could not be bothered to vote.

He is one reason why there was no clear winner of the General Election.

Hedges and habitat

From: Alan German, Sutton, Retford.

THE Government is busy spending millions of our pounds encouraging farmers and landowners to provide and maintain areas for native wild flowers and meadows, at last recognising the benefits these bring to the environment.

Many pundits are increasingly suggesting that wild areas in domestic gardens should also be encouraged.

At the same time, local authorities throughout the country are spending more millions mowing down large areas of established and productive habitat.

Restricting verge mowing and hedge cutting to only those areas where road safety is an issue would produce both environmental and economic benefits. Everyone wins.

Prescott honour shows worth of hereditary peers

From: BJ Cussons, Curly Hill, Ilkley.

ONCE upon a time, the Labour Party talked about reforming the House of Lords. So what do they do?

Give a peerage to a Speaker who certainly hadn't earned it.

And now, a peerage to John Prescott whose only service to Westminster was to keep the Left-wing of the Labour Party quiet, who publicly stated he didn't want a peerage, and the only reason for him getting one is to placate his wife who behaved with some dignity in the face of his infidelity.

It was bad enough that a bruiser was made Deputy Prime Minister of our country, but a peer of the realm?

Come back the hereditary peerage where membership is not dependent on whose back you have scratched on the way to the Lords.

There may have been some passengers/poor members but there were many more who put their country first.

From: Terry Duncan, Greame Road, Bridlington, East Yorkshire.

I THOUGHT that little man Ian Hislop, one of the team captains in the BBC programme Have I Got News For You? plunged to the lowest of depths in broadcasting when, for an entire half an hour, he concentrated on digging up the dirt on John Prescott's sex-straying episode several years ago. He was the only one there who thought he was funny, the rest of country must have thought him disgusting.

I am surprised Mr Prescott did not turn on the abhorrent little man and give him one right on his evil jaw.

No wonder the captain of the other team, Paul Merton, kept quiet for most of the programme, probably through embarrassment.

We are all in the same boat

From: H Marjorie Gill, Clarence Drive, Menston, West Yorkshire.

HOW many of the workers in the public sector are aware that their employers are, in fact, the taxpayers? All the people who ostensibly work for the Government, or alternatively

for a council, are being paid by those of their neighbours who pay taxes.

All of those, be they nurses, doctors, librarians or teachers, are in the same position whether they like it or not. Neither the Government, nor the councils have a pot of gold at their disposal. If and when the fire officers, or the postal workers, go on strike, they are all in fact striking against their neighbours.

In the days to come, when salaries might have to be cut and all will have to suffer, it might help to remember that we are all in the same boat.

Catching up on wise words

From: Maureen Hunt, Woolley, near Wakefield.

HAVING been on holiday for a week, I have just caught up with reading the copies of the Yorkshire Post I missed. The letter from Barrie Frost (Yorkshire Post, May 27) was outstanding. To put the human rights of would-be terrorists, who threaten the lives of the peaceful residents of this country ahead of those citizens, is obviously perverse and nonsensical.

It was a very pleasant surprise to see Bernard Dineen's photo and short letter (Yorkshire Post, May 31) thanking those who had written to him on his retirement. No greater compliment could have been paid by him to Yorkshire Post readers than that we are "the salt of the earth, representing the best tradition of Britain".