Mideast Conflict

The battle for land in Israel makes the headlines. Will Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu build 6,500 homes on the site for the people of Israel or will Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat and the Palestinians build the capital of East Jerusalem? Will peace prevail? There is no peace.

The battle for land is but another war the Arabs have declared to destroy Israel as a sovereign nation. Netanyahu knows Israel must build the homes to preserve Israel as an independent nation. The Palestinians and the Arab terrorists wage a war to stop construction while they charge Netanyahu with violating the peace process and the Oslo accords. They are wrong. Neither peace nor Oslo can justify Israel abdicating its sovereignty.

Arab terrorism cannot be a factor to control the government of Israel. No more could terrorists control American governmental policy. And the Clinton administration is wrong to pressure Israel to do that which the U.S. would never do: cave in to the demands of terrorists and abdicate our sovereignty.

ALBERT E. NASSER

Culver City

* It is sad to see your Commentary section focus on only one element of the Israeli/Palestinian struggle--terrorism (“Sharm el Sheik: Just a Memory?” by Hillary Mann, March 25). Rather than reinforcing stereotypes (Arabs as terrorists), The Times should spend more time conveying reality. The problem with the Middle East peace process is that one side thinks it can determine the outcome without the input of the other side.

If Israel really wanted to use diplomacy to settle issues, then why does it use force in expropriating land from Palestinians and in building on that land? Does taking someone’s land or bulldozing someone’s home for not having the right permit amount to terrorism? Maybe the focus on terrorism is correct, but just too myopic.

ROBERT ABIAD