Good Weekend letters to the editor: May 20

Blue days

I was shocked to read that a “dozen industrial-sized factory ships” are competing against female humpbacks and their babies for Antarctic krill after the mothers return from a 17,000-kilometre round journey [May 13]. Thankfully, Australia’s minister for the environment and water, Tanya Plibersek, is striving to create a Marine Protected Area in East Antarctica. But Russia and China are blocking this. Hopefully, the recent signing by 200 nations of the Global Oceans Treaty protecting two-thirds of the high seas will break the impasse so that once and for all, the whales may again feed in peace. Thanks to Amanda Hooton for a superbly written report.
Ray Peck
Hawthorn, Vic

Amanda Hooton’s feature on whales was a confronting and thought-provoking read. Her extraordinary journey to Antarctica, along with dedicated scientists, gave her a revealing insight into the plight of the whales that call this unforgiving place home. Their future depends on so many things, and involves many countries coming together to make the right decisions that will protect their food sources and their environment. These magnificent animals are highly intelligent and we, as caretakers of their environment, need to make intelligent decisions to keep them protected.
Judith Caine
Donvale, Vic

“To not believe in Israel was to somehow forfeit one’s name as a Jew”

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As a long-time reader and first-time correspondent, I wanted to say thank you for the article by Antony Loewenstein about Israel and Palestine. I’m sure you’ll receive a concerted barrage of outraged letters accusing you of anti-Semitism for publishing it. I’m glad you had the journalistic integrity to publish a minority, unpopular but nevertheless fair and just opinion.
Fleur Taylor
Heidelberg, Vic

There are many falsehoods in Antony Loewenstein’s piece. They cannot go unchallenged. Loewenstein ostentatiously cast himself out of the Jewish community. It’s his right to be an anti-Zionist and to criticise Israel, but not to assert that the community is politically homogeneous and that the state of Israel is irredeemable. It is false to suggest that criticism of Israel leads to ostracism. I have publicly done so and wasn’t ostracised by anyone across the political spectrum.

The most shocking passage, however, was this: “Yes, anti-Semitism is a real and growing threat, but combating it requires an understanding of how unqualified Jewish support for Israeli behaviour sometimes contributes to it.” Implicitly, Jews are responsible for anti-Semitism, despite the cute deployment of the adverb “sometimes”. Imagine writing this: “Yes, anti-Indigenous racism is a real and growing threat, but combating it requires an understanding of how unqualified Indigenous support for constitutional recognition sometimes contributes to it.” One would be rightly cast out of polite society.
Nick Dyrenfurth
Balaclava, Vic

I was very disappointed by this article. I understand that we need to let everybody express their opinion, but the facts shouldn’t be distorted. Israel was declared an independent state after the UN resolution of a two-state solution. The Arab population, with the help of the Arab countries, attacked the Jewish population. Many of these people had just survived the Holocaust. It was a bloody war, but the Jewish population won minus some territories. Some Arabs fled. In 1967, Israel was attacked again by the Arab countries, so they fought back and won. They gained territories. There were other attacks and they won again. Should they apologise for winning? I agree there are many problems, but it’s up to the government to solve. There are no easy solutions.
Judy Davies
Rose Bay, NSW