Fighting Escalates in Mideast

* Even after the brutal beating deaths of two Israeli soldiers (Oct. 13), which the Palestinian Authority police claimed to be incapable of preventing, the Israeli Defense Forces still gave the PA three hours’ notice to vacate the police station so no one had to die. While administering punishment, Israel still consciously tries to avoid shedding the blood of Palestinian civilians or military personnel. Think of what the toll would have been in the last two weeks if those bullets were not coated with rubber.

What started out as a provocative “walk in the garden” for Ariel Sharon is hideously descending into an abyss of death and lost hope. Israel’s government tried to hold onto a shred of sanity and reason in the face of mob behavior. Evaluation of the evidence would seem to indicate that Yasser Arafat, when offered 90% of the territories, de facto self-rule, situating the Palestinian capital in Jerusalem and a mutually agreeable compromise on the Temple Mount, instead ruined the deal by insisting on an “international inquiry” into the origin of the violence following Sharon’s lack of wisdom. This is an insult to reasoning people anywhere. The first attack came from Palestinian men and children. It would never occur to them that they might be the ones who overreacted.

JEFF SCHOENWALD

Thousand Oaks

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I guess the Palestinians should not have any hatred toward their murderers. They should just accept a forced, so-called peace in which they would face constant roadblocks, humiliation and apartheid. Why is the obvious always ignored? If Israel stops the occupation of Palestinian land and respects U.N. resolutions, no Arab entity can make an excuse to attack Israel. It is that simple.

As a Palestinian I can guarantee that not only the world but also moderate Arab nations would give Israel the ultimate respect and sympathy.

ROBERT A. KORT

Anaheim

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One more reason to vote for Al Gore: the current crisis in the Middle East, especially as it pertains to the apparent terrorist attack on the U.S. Navy destroyer Cole (“Blast Rips U.S. Warship in Yemen,” Oct. 13). There can be little doubt that the vice president is much more familiar with the global significance of this crisis than his opposition.

JOSEPH M. ELLIS

Woodland Hills

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Current events indicate that Gov. George W. Bush made an excellent point in the second debate. He said we should develop more of our own oil reserves and begin to reduce our reliance on oil from a forever-troubled area of the world. The Clinton administration has had a “head in the sand” energy policy. The high price of oil will begin to affect all Americans very soon, and they may wish that they had those tax cuts that President Clinton vetoed to help pay for their energy costs.

LARRY ZINI

Camarillo

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Michael Lerner’s Oct. 13 column is the first honest commentary on the Israeli-Palestinian situation I have seen. He is not interested in being politically correct but rather in reporting the truth.

HAROLD EINBINDER

Long Beach