Annexation nervosa

Regarding “Berlin ups pressure on Israel to nix annexation amid calls for sanctions” (June 7), so the honorable German foreign minister is coming to warn us of “serious consequences” if we dare to annex (our own land).

What has he got in mind? Auschwitz, perhaps? Germans don’t only lack a shred of shame, but they also – and the European Union – take themselves way too seriously.

Where is Menachem Begin when we need him? I recall with some pride the dressing down he delivered to the German ambassador for having the chutzpah to even have an opinion on Israel’s security. Germans need to come to grips with the reality of a strong independent Jewish state that needs neither their opinion nor their warning.

YEHUDIT LIPNER Jerusalem

Regarding “Why the uproar over sovereignty?” (June 7), Moshe Dann is absolutely correct. Palestinian leaders have refused to negotiate for much of the nearly three decades that have passed since the Oslo Accords were signed. Thus, it is no surprise that Israel is about to transfer land assigned to it in the Accords without Final Status agreements having been reached. Nor is it any surprise that the Palestinian Authority is screaming. Hamas, having sworn it would never negotiate with Israel, still complains bitterly about the insult of Israel’s unilateral withdrawal from Gaza.

It is important to note that saying, “There will be no PLO state” isn’t the same as saying, “There will be no Palestinian state.” The actions of the Palestinian leaders will determine if they ever get the state they claim to want. They need to turn their attention away from efforts to replace the nation-state of the Jews with a Muslim-majority state and they also need to begin preparing their people for life in a state co-existing peacefully with the Jewish state. A good starting point would be using the funds donated for the benefit of the Palestinians to improve the economy and build the infrastructure needed by a viable state, one in which its citizens