Never-Ending Mideast Conflict

Re “Violence Erupts as Palestinians March in Support of Uprising,” Sept. 30: As a nonreligious but deeply spiritual and caring person of Jewish heritage, I am terribly upset about the continual conflict between the Palestinian and Israeli peoples. Whatever the causes, the two peoples are incapable of coming to a peaceful resolution of their conflict. This conflict, especially over the occupation of certain territories, is one of the reasons for the hatred brewing among Arabs in the Mideast.

Would it not be in the interest of the world if the United Nations put a peacekeeping force into that area, especially on the borders? There is precedent (in Somalia, Bosnia, etc.) for this kind of protection by the U.N. when the continuation of conflict threatens the future of the participant countries themselves and certainly has ramifications that jeopardize the safety of the world in general.

Joan Kahn

Pasadena

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I was intrigued by Bill Bennett’s comments on “moral equivalence” in the Middle East (Commentary, Oct. 1). As he is something of an expert on morality and history, I would pose to him the following question: An indigenous people is forcibly evicted from their land through the use of military power. They spend a long time dispersed to foreign lands, never truly welcomed anywhere. They decide to retake their historical native land as a refuge, a place they can call their own. They face widespread opposition and in desperation, they resort to violence, terrorist bombings, even starting a war to assure their goal of a homeland, however small and barren.

The question: Am I talking about the Jews or the Palestinians?

Blain Brown

Alhambra

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A growing chorus of commentators are now using the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks as evidence that we should change our policies toward Israel and the Palestinians, and our foreign policy in general, in order to address the “root causes” of the terrorists’ hatred of America. Such appeasement is supposedly necessary to “break the cycle of violence.”

In contrast, although the terrorists who carried out the Oklahoma City bombing were motivated by a resentment of a large federal government, no serious commentator ever suggested the bombing was a reason to change our domestic policies. Those who favor a smaller role for the federal government understood that sensible points of view don’t require appealing to vicious acts of madmen for justification.

Noah Graham

Santa Monica

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Re “The Lessons of Blowback,” Opinion, Sept. 30: Chalmers Johnson is right when he states that the terrorist attacks were not directed against America but against our foreign policy. America’s policy toward the Middle East has long been very much influenced by the pro-Israel lobby. Almost 80 billion of our tax dollars have gone to provide aid and the latest weapons to Israel during the past 50 years, while scant attention has been paid to the grievances of the Palestinian people or their apartheid-like treatment within Israel.

As we bring the terrorists who perpetrated the monstrous attacks of Sept. 11 to justice, we must also develop a more evenhanded policy toward Israel and the Palestinian people. We must also find ways to listen to the grievances of Muslims around the world, including radical Muslims, if we want to stop the scourge of mass terrorism from reaching our shores again.

Louis Swires

Newport Beach

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I was so looking forward to reading an alternative plan of action that met our country’s objective of controlling terrorism, but Johnson’s idea of changing our foreign policy in response to the terrorists’ actions is a recipe for more terrorism. What kind of message would that send to would-be terrorists? If you don’t like a government’s policy, just fly a plane into a building or three and you’ll get what you want soon.

Tracey Keefe

Edwards, Calif.

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The Islamic terrorists have clearly in their letter targeted Americans and Jews. As an American Jew, this deeply disturbs me. But it does show that Israel’s role in the Middle East is irrelevant to these murderers. Even if there were no Israel, these barbarians would still be targeting Americans and Jews presumably wherever we live.

Martin Shandling

Los Angeles