Israel Should Follow America’s Agenda

Re “U.S. Overtures for a Coalition Alarm Sharon,” Sept. 26: Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is alarmed at American efforts to seek Islamic support against terrorism, stating that Israel will not allow its interests to be sacrificed. There would be no Israel if we in the United States had not ignored our own national interests for over 50 years. The interests of the United States and Israel are not, and have never been, congruent, and our lock-step support of Israel has brought us nothing but grief for decades. Oil embargoes, attacks on American installations abroad and now mass murder on American soil are the direct result of this support. The Zionists practically invented modern terrorism during their battle for an independent Jewish state.

In the wake of Sept. 11, we must reexamine our foreign policy in many areas, and a more sympathetic hearing of legitimate Palestinian aspirations for self-determination is one of those areas.

M. Alexander Ritchaikov

Los Angeles

Your article misses the point, the point being that calls from the U.S. by the president and secretary of State have had little effect in gaining the cooperation of Sharon. Surely, talking with the Palestinian Authority without the disingenuous conditions imposed by Sharon is in the interests of both Israel and the U.S. Our president does not need Sharon to point out his concerns about terrorist states, as if the U.S. was not aware of the problems. The U.S. is the prime supporter of Israel, without question. Sharon should be there for the president of the U.S. when a favor is asked.

John M. Gillis

Manhattan Beach

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We have recently learned that there are two kinds of terrorism.

Terrorism against Israel: perfectly OK.

Terrorism against the rest of the world: abominable.

Harry Levin

Woodland Hills

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Re “Don’t Press the Saudis Now,” editorial, Sept. 27: When should the U.S. press the Saudis? After New York is glowing in the dark?

Nathan D. Wirtschafter

Valley Village

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So let me get this straight. President Bush has proclaimed a war on terrorism. The terrorists are made up of Islamic fundamentalists. Our “longtime ally, Saudi Arabia” is considered moderate, yet it refuses to allow the U.S. to use military bases on its soil, and we are asked to withhold making demands of the Saudis, for fear we may “anger fundamentalists” just as we did during the Gulf War. If these are our allies, then who exactly is our enemy?

Eugene Dula

Los Angeles