The Israeli elections and Mideast peace

Re “Risking peace,” editorial, Nov. 22

While postponing progress on the road map to peace in the short term, the Israeli elections set for March offer a chance for considerable improvement in prospects for peace between Israelis and Palestinians.

Newly elected Labor Party leader Amir Peretz provides hope for a new Israeli leadership that is more willing to make meaningful concessions to Palestinians than the hard-line Ariel Sharon.

A clear signal must now be sent to the Israeli public that America can no longer afford to jeopardize its security and hopes for stability in the Middle East for the sake of religious zealots bent on expanding the state of Israel at the expense of peace.

The recent compromise brokered by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Gaza border crossings demonstrates the kind of progress possible when the United States weighs in forcefully on the diplomatic front.

The threat of complete international isolation and an end to billions in annual U.S. aid is the wake-up call that’s needed to convince most Israelis to face up to their responsibility to roll back settlements and end nearly four decades of an occupation that has nearly torn the world apart.

KHALED GALAL

San Francisco

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The editorial reminding Israel and the Palestinians not to use the forthcoming elections as an excuse to slow down the establishment of a Palestinian state reveals a lack of understanding of the region. Israel is a democracy, and in a democracy, governments change or get reelected.

While the politicians and parties are campaigning -- and after getting elected, creating coalitions -- it’s pretty hard to undertake new foreign policy initiatives, particularly when every Israeli party has its own solution for peace.

Israel, as in other democracies, such as the U.S., for instance, could have foreign policy initiatives radically altered by a new government.

As for the Palestinians, why do they deserve a state? Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and his government haven’t taken a single step to stop the violence and incitement. Indeed, they have publicly acknowledged that they are too weak and incompetent to do anything about them.

LARRY SHAPIRO

Rancho Mirage