Look to the Sources of Suicide Bombings

Re “Bush’s Mideast Policy on Hold,” Oct. 29: Rashid Khalidi, director of the Middle East Institute at Columbia University, has tunnel vision when he criticizes U.S. Middle East policy and laments that 3,000 Palestinians have been killed, compared with 900 Israelis. The Palestinians have been the aggressors and supporters of terrorism. Khalidi ignores that the Palestinians have made no sincere efforts to eliminate Hamas or other terrorist groups. If Khalidi were really concerned about the Palestinians, he would be incensed about the terrorist activities that are destroying any peace efforts. Israel had been retaliating against the senseless terrorist groups by eliminating militant leaders. Khalidi doesn’t recognize that Israel has the right to defend itself. U.S. policy does.

Evelyn Maletz

Northridge

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The blind hatred and stupidity of Iraqis, including college lecturers, who believe that Israel or the U.S. is responsible for deadly suicide bombings in their country severely undermines any hope for peace in that troubled region (“Iraqis See Israel as Culprit in Bombings,” Oct. 30).

Based on the logic that the “people who masterminded the bombings wanted to hurt Iraqis” and, therefore, must be Israeli, Saddam Hussein and his thugs must have been puppets of Israel, if not Israelis in disguise. When will these people recognize the true enemy in their midst? Israelis and Americans do not do suicide bombings. Islamic extremists do.

Pauline Regev

Santa Monica