High Court retort

Regarding “High Court nixes Settlements Law” (June 10), Joint List leader Ayman Odeh is quoted as calling it “an important victory... whose land was stolen by the settlers.”

Rashi, the famous commentator of the Bible, asks why the Torah, as a book of laws, begins with the story of Creation as opposed to teaching the first law to the Jewish people. His reply is that when the nations of the world cry out that the Jews have stolen the land of Israel, we are reminded that God created the world and promised to give the Land of Israel to the Jewish people.

I don’t expect Ayman Odeh or the nations of the world to believe this. But there is no excuse for a majority of Jewish judges who sit on the Jewish High Court of Justice to deny their God’s promise!

AVRAHAM FRIEDMAN

Ganei Modi’in

Regarding “Dershowitz on Netanyahu trial: ‘Israel should be deeply ashamed’” (June 5), Law Professor Alan Dershowitz argues that the four cases against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should be dismissed , as prior to the alleged offenses, there were no clear and precise criminal statutes defining Netanyahu’s conduct. Dershowitz further claims that in the US, Netanyahu would not have been charged in any of the four cases.

As a Houston trial attorney for over 30 years, I could not be more in disagreement with the esteemed and distinguished Harvard law professor. In all four cases, there is a beneficial, financial or otherwise, quid pro quo for Netanyahu. This establishes, whether in Israel or the US, the criminal fraud and breach of trust allegations.

However, I am sure that Dershowitz would agree with me that the evidence is so weak that any competent and brilliant attorney would succeed in obtaining a “not guilty” verdict from a duly constituted United States jury.

LEONARD KAHN

Zichron Yaakov