Washington Talks on Middle East

Re “Arafat, Netanyahu to Meet in the U.S.,” Sept. 30: While the final determination as how best to achieve peace in the Middle East is a matter for Israel and the Palestinians to decide, all Americans must wish the president success and support his summit call. Nor allow it to be mired in politics.

As the world powers can no longer afford any battle to be fought until the bitter end, each governing party has an obligation to restrain the zealots and reach a peace agreement that will be administered fairly and equitably, with promises fulfilled. It is the latter that has been the biggest barrier. Let us hope differences can be set aside to allow trust to grow, and peace reward Israel and Palestinians with life as good neighbors.

HYMAN H. HAVES

Pacific Palisades

Now that Yasser Arafat has become the darling of the American left, nobody seems to mind that he is willing to have the most faithful of his young followers killed in service of his latest negotiating ploy.

And anybody who believes that Bill Clinton isn’t part of the American left is living in a dream world. He has not only gone along with the United Nations’ condemnation of Irsael, but he has lent himself to Arafat’s blood-soaked tactics by summoning Benjamin Netanyahu to Washington.

EDWARD LINN

San Diego

Because of Clinton’s inaction against months of Israeli provocations, dozens of people are dead and the peace process is in danger of collapse. Clinton has ignored U.N. resolutions calling for the pullout of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon, America’s own policy to halt settlement activity on the West Bank and the peace process’ call not to change the status quo of Jerusalem until after negotiations are made. Once again this year, the American taxpayer will be underwriting the killing of Palestinians and Lebanese.

JANE ENSLEY

Downey

William Pfaff, in his Sept. 27 commentary, fails to reveal that the recent Palestinian uprising in Israel is a consequence of Arafat’s demagoguery. On Sept. 25, Arafat was quoted as calling the opening of a new entrance to the existing archeological site (it has been in operation for a decade) as a “crime against religious and holy places.” These words have been interpreted by his followers as an invitation to launch attacks on Israeli soldiers.

It’s time that people like Pfaff stop genuflecting to Arafat, who by his recent statements confirms that he has not abandoned his lifelong dream of destroying Israel.

MILTON GAN

Los Angeles

Your stories consistently blame the terrible outbreak of violence in Israel on the frustration the Palestinians have been experiencing with Netanyahu. It is true that since his election the continuation of the peace process has been stalled. But an essential fact is missing here. Netanyahu was elected by a clear majority of the Jewish Israelis (his victory margin was small when Arab Israeli votes are counted in) because of the Jewish frustration with Arafat.

The deal was land for peace. The Palestinians got land, but they did not deliver peace. Palestinian terrorist groups using suicide bombers killed hundreds of Jews, and hence the turn to the hard line of Netanyahu. Arafat might try to distance himself from the lawless actions of some of his people, but at the negotiations table he is responsible for them all. The death toll since the peace process began far exceeds that of the days of intifada, so what the Israelis see is that they gave up a lot and only got more dead to bury in return.

URIELA OBST

Los Angeles

As a Christian, I protest the turning of Jerusalem’s places of worship into “high places” of idolatry. The media exacerbate this by constantly referring to the “holy places” of Islam, Judaism and even of Christianity. As a Christian I deplore how the church of the Middle Ages fell into the same idolatrous belief by backing Crusades to capture “the Holy City.”

From a Christian biblical viewpoint, we must not make any place into an idol. Is it not time for all to repent by recognizing that no place is holier than any other, because ultimately all belong to God? Let’s step back and try to see Jerusalem from God’s viewpoint.

GEORGE L. OLSON

Claremont

The Sept. 28 story on local reaction to the violence surrounding the opening of a tunnel in Jerusalem’s Old City left readers with the misleading notion that I had blamed Israel’s prime minister for the situation. Quite the contrary.

First, as I emphasized to your reporter, and which is now confirmed by Muslim leaders, the tunnel never went under any holy site, Christian, Jewish or Muslim. As a result, Israel was fully within its right to complete the digging of that tunnel, especially since it violated no status quo involving religious sites. Secondly, the Simon Wiesenthal Center believes that as a first step to salvaging hopes for peace, Arafat must pull the guns of his police off the streets of the West Bank and Gaza.

We join with all Americans in praying that the Mideast Washington summit will succeed in bolstering the forces of peace.

RABBI ABRAHAM COOPER

Associate Dean

Simon Wiesenthal Center