Podhoretz, Vidal Feud

Powell was wide of the mark in comparing Podhoretz to Vidal and in treating the two of them as jokes. For quite different reasons each man deserves to be taken quite seriously.

Vidal is a brilliant writer, whose books have had considerable critical and popular success, and a perceptive, compassionate man. Podhoretz is a hack of no particular literary distinction and is very dangerous, perhaps as dangerous to Israel as the Palestine Liberation Organization. He is dangerous because he advocates a policy of hard-line confrontation, a policy that Israel cannot afford morally, financially or politically. He is even more dangerous because he attempts to stifle criticism by labeling his critics anti-Semites.

As an American Jew, I believe the real anti-Semites, the people working toward the end of Israel, are those like Podhoretz, who cheered Israel on in its futile and destructive invasion of Lebanon--an invasion that caused the needless deaths of thousands of Lebanese and Israelis, which all but bankrupted Israel and had no real long-term impact on the PLO.

Podhoretz and his friends now insist that Israel maintain an equally destructive and futile policy toward the Palestinians on the West Bank. Basing policy solely on the terrorist acts of some Arabs, which is what Podhoretz appears to be doing, has led and will continue to lead Israel and America absolutely nowhere, except to more terrorism.

The Podhoretz people seem bound on turning Israel into another Northern Ireland--mired in an insoluble ethnic conflict. What Podhoretz doesn’t seem to realize is that after 40 years of gambling their resources on war the Israelis are running out of resources. They must now gamble them on peace and on recognizing the rights of the Palestinians.

Otherwise, enough years of inflation, austerity, and emigration to America will send Israel the way of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem. Vidal understands all this and is truly a friend of Israel. Podhoretz doesn’t and he’s Israel’s enemy. And with enemies like Podhoretz, Israel certainly needs its friends.

STANTON J. PRICE

Los Angeles