Accepting Road Map, Sharon ‘Wins by Losing’
Re “Sharon’s New Pragmatism,” editorial, May 28: Count my voice as being among the cynics (realists?) who deem Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s new-seeming magnanimous attitude toward Israeli occupation of Palestinian land as yet another ploy. The only ray of hope for his intent to be sincere is the reference to the impact upon Israel’s economy. Failing that, it would take a miracle to budge Israel from its long-held sense of entitlement toward these lands. It needs a wake-up call that God is not in the real estate business.
Sunny Kreis
Santa Monica
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Sharon wins by losing. Instead of shooting President Bush’s “road map” on sight, Sharon will strangle it with a thousand conditions.
Meanwhile, new settlements will eat away what is left of Palestinian land, and soon there will be nothing left to negotiate. After all, this strategy has worked in the past with feckless American administrations. Why shouldn’t it work again? The result: Homeland Security will eventually become America’s largest employer.
Doug Doepke
Claremont
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In “Israel OKs U.S.-Backed Peace Plan” (May 26), your reporters state, “The fate of Palestinians torn from their homes by the creation of Israel is a raw wound.” Omitted is the fact that these Palestinians only fled a few miles across the truce line in anticipation of advancing Arab armies’ 1948 attack (there was little Arab advancement). Had the Arabs not rejected partition, these “refugees” would be celebrating a 55th anniversary side by side with Israel.
Conversely, there are no Jews blowing themselves up in the dozens of Arab countries that they have been kicked out of throughout history.
David Shapiro
Huntington Beach
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The laudable road map to peace in the Middle East is almost certain to fail. The price is so high. It requires nothing short of civil war among the Palestinians and a spike in terrorism for the Israelis before the benefits of peace can douse the fires of anger. The only hope for peace is an arrogant, emboldened, damn-the-consequences American president who can bully both parties to pay this price, stay the course and get to the other side.
Stewart Copeland
Los Angeles