Palestinian Statehood

Re “Palestinian Statehood Will Happen,” by Daoud Kuttab, Commentary, May 10: Will Palestinian statehood happen? Maybe. Should Palestinian statehood happen? Without a demonstration of responsibility, without a substantial indication of a willingness to live side by side in peace and harmony with a secure and safe Israel? I think not. I’d like to be able to change my mind on that point and will when there is a stop to the preaching and teaching of hatred toward Jews and the state of Israel; when the Palestinian people no longer hear promises of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital--without an Israel; when martyrs who died in the act of murdering innocent civilians are no longer idolized and eulogized.

Are there barriers to statehood for the Palestinian people? There certainly are--and Israel is the least of them.

SHELDON KRONFELD

San Diego

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Kuttab states, “Israelis who are sick of the ongoing conflict hopefully will overcome their baseless fears.” With Palestinian terrorists responsible for the murder of over 200 Israelis since the 1993 Oslo accords, no fears that Israelis have can be labeled as baseless. Until the textbooks used to educate Palestinian children include the country Israel on maps of the Middle East, Israel has a lot to fear.

JOSH HASTEN

New York

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By the present definition, could not the continuing displacement of Palestinian farmers for Israeli settlers be construed as ethnic cleansing? Is Israel NATO’s next stop?

STEVE MRVICIN

Van Nuys