Israel Justifies Wall Amid Bombings

Re “Rush-Hour Bus Explosion Kills 7 in Jerusalem,” Feb. 22: The Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, an offshoot of Yasser Arafat’s Fatah movement, claimed responsibility for the terrorist bombing attack that took the lives of at least eight Israeli civilians. How ironic for you to print Arafat’s right-hand man Saeb Erekat’s supposed condemnation of the attack, and his urging the United States “to step up its efforts to revive the peace process.”

Indeed, it is obstacles such as Arafat and Erekat who stand in the way of the peace process.

The bus bombing is a horrific tragedy engineered by Palestinians against people they believe to be members of the Jewish faith. Printing disingenuous statements by Erekat next to ones made by Israelis is rather distasteful.

Brian Elfand

Woodland Hills

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Thank you for the Israeli view presented in “Fence Leads to Heart of a Great Divide” (Feb. 22), noting the security fence’s role in preventing a planned Palestinian terrorist attack on an Israeli school.

Sadly, the section of Jerusalem where a Palestinian bomber struck an Israeli bus Sunday was not protected by a security fence, and without the protective barrier, innocent Israeli civilians were slaughtered en masse. If the Palestinians oppose the security fence, there’s an easy solution: Stop the terrorism, and there will be no need for the fence.

Stephen A. Silver

Walnut Creek, Calif.

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Re the Israeli fence: It seems that Israel is re-creating the Berlin Wall. I thought we were over that.

Ellie Navid

Northridge