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Letters to the Editor Mutual dependence Advertisement Regarding "The road to independence," Haaretz Magazine, April 25 Justice Minister Daniel Friedmann plays with words in a manner that arouses both admiration and anger. First he substitutes the demand for "judicial independence" with support for "independence of judges," as though the two were identical. Judicial independence, according to my understanding, and I am not a legal expert, means the ability to make a decision without being dependent on the opinion of interested parties. Therefore, the "independence of judges," who are subject to influence like anyone else, is not the same and does not lead to "judicial independence." In his response Minister Friedmann claims that "the independence of the judge must be guaranteed vis-a-vis both external elements and elements within the legal system itself." That is a very problematic claim. The judge's dependence on external elements, as well as on his own prejudices, is not always subject to supervision and monitoring; the monitoring of the quality and independence of judicial power can only be implemented by increasing a judge's dependence on other senior judicial elements, which we can assume are themselves not "independent," but rather supervise and monitor each other. There is an advantage to the system as it operates today, where the president of the Supreme Court is dependent on the justice minister and he is dependent on her, and the judges are dependent on both of them, because it reduces the danger of dependence on interested outside parties. Usually a judge will not dare to make a biased decision due to pressure from interested parties, when he is being supervised by the president of the Supreme Court. Shai Miller Jerusalem Interesting question Regarding "Black, white and bloody," Haaretz Magazine, April 18 An unfortunate thing happened to Dalia Karpel. Before the publication of her article, which deals with a photo album that was presumably "stolen" 40 years ago from the home of Ali Zaarour, the country's first Muslim photographer, and which was returned to the family by the Israel Defense Forces' archives - it turned out that the album had not been stolen, but rather taken by the photographer's brother-in-law and given as a gift to his Jewish employer. This new information, which according to the article was discovered only a month ago, overturns the family's version to the effect that the album was stolen by IDF soldiers. The version of the Palestinian family, which for the sake of caution we will consider to be erroneous, is presented in a documentary directed by producer Liran Atzmor, which will be aired on Independence Day and will also be broadcast by the BBC and by Arte. The reader of the article is also left with the clear impression that the family's version is the correct one, with the dramatic new information downplayed toward the end of the article. The result is a political piece that treats the album story as a precedent-setting case of Palestinian property being restored to its owner, as a kind of metaphor for other Palestinian property that should be returned. An interesting question relates to the reaction to this information by the creators of the documentary film, which will be distributed internationally. Karpel did not think this subject important. Evyatar Englard Tel Aviv Spirit of the bridge Regarding "Crooked perfection," Haaretz Magazine, April 4 I thoroughly enjoyed the article by Ariel Hirschfeld about the Calatrava bridge being built in Jerusalem. As a construction engineer who doesn't actually deal directly with bridges, but understands a little and was even at the building site on a number of occasions - I, too, have been impressed by the project's unique engineering-construction aspect. This is in addition to its architectural-aesthetic uniqueness, which is a matter of everyone's judgment. The bridge is supposed to absorb the forces that operate on it - its own weight, wind, the trains traveling on it, the pedestrians walking alongside, a possible earthquake - and to "transfer" them to the ground. In this bridge the angles and curves make it very complex to transfer these forces, which is why it is amazing in terms of engineering. Hirschfeld did a good job of describing his impressions of the bridge, starting with the fact that it reaches toward the sky, and the fear that it is about to fall at any moment, and the idea of the harp strings that will anchor it and eventually stabilize it, and the ultimate pleasure in its design. The article therefore was a nice combination of the spirit that beats in the heart of the observer and a description of the impressive physical object that is reaching skyward - and, if you will, of the abstract and the concrete. Yossi Razi Rehovot A gold ring Hirschfeld's articles excel in their sharp and unconventional observation and exceptional insights. But this time he was way off-base on the subject of Calatrava's bridge. It is not enough to judge an architectural structure as an isolated work; this bridge loses all its beauty and magnificence because of its context. In architecture, the surroundings are no less important than the structure itself. I have seen other bridges by Calatrava, and they are all breathtakingly beautiful because of their proximity to water and their ability to "breathe." Not only do the ugly and suffocating surroundings of the entrance to Jerusalem fail to benefit the bridge, they detract from it and from the possibility of enjoying its dimensions. Ahuva Passov-Vitman Jerusalem Correction: The photograph of the settlers entering Beit Hadassah in Hebron, in 1979 ("Ghetto mentality," Haaretz Magazine, April 18) was taken by Uzi Keren. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Stronger than its ills The 60th anniversary celebrations are accompanied by a bad taste. Rise in racism Israeli Arabs say institutionalized racism has increased.

Read & React Bradley Burston: Sixty years of Nakba, sixty years of nothing Responses: 322 PA official: No Israeli partner in light of latest Olmert probe Responses: 197 Haaretz Editorial: Israel stronger than its ills; Mideast peace is still possible Responses: 138 Rosner's Domain: Obama and the Jews: is 61% enough? Responses: 98 Peres: I didn't imagine Qassams would be fired from Gaza after pullout Responses: 230 More Headlines 01:50 Olmert suspected of accepting illicit funds from U.S. businessman 23:55 ANALYSIS / The PM seems crushed in face of allegations 02:50 BACKGROUND / Olmert's financier, a fundraiser who prefers to avoid the limelight 02:46 Following PM probe revelations, MKs call for his resignation 03:21 IDF to probe paratrooper's accident during Independence Day air show 03:16 Tensions rise in Beirut in clash over Hezbollah's telecom network 22:14 FM Livni: Israel ready to make sacrifices for peace 17:34 British PM: Israel`s creation one of the 20th century`s `greatest achievements` 23:09 Hamas: Gaza-Egypt border to open for three days 18:31 Thousands take to streets and parks as Israel celebrates 60 years of statehood 18:06 Olmert said ready to bring about peace agreement with Syria 22:49 Five police officers and two Arab MKs hurt as clashes erupt at Naqba Day protest 01:06 Two Israeli tourists thought missing in Burma cyclone found unharmed Previous Editions Select Day 08 may 07 may 06 may 05 may 04 may 02 may 01 may 30 apr 29 apr 28 apr 27 apr 25 apr

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