The Mideast crisis: strategy and politics

Re “Backing Israel is the best of a set of bad choices,” Aug. 6

Jonathan Chait ignores the contributory responsibility of all the parties in the current crisis and doesn’t understand the concept of supporting Israel’s right to defend itself, condemning the violent acts against it but disagreeing with its policies and methods.

Although Hezbollah may have acted illegally, Chait fails to point out that Hezbollah did not launch the current rocket attacks into Israel until Israel launched a disproportionate attack on uninvolved civilians in violation of international law. Having failed to rescue its soldiers, better responses might have been a small-scale surgical strike on an appropriate Hezbollah target, filing appropriate complaints with the U.N. and using back-channel diplomacy to discuss the soldiers’ release.

Although proportionate responses may give Hezbollah some increased status, it is better than inflaming the whole Arab world and generating much wider support for the organization.

MICHAEL GOLDMAN

Woodland Hills

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Chait asserts that Israel must continue to mercilessly bomb Lebanon to destroy Hezbollah and make way for an international peacekeeping force. What he fails to recognize is that Israel’s practice of collective punishment amounts to a giant recruitment campaign for Hezbollah. Not only does the killing of innocent people radicalize the Muslim world, it undermines any hope of convincing Syria’s leaders to stop green-lighting arms traffic to Hezbollah.

With Israel’s military offensive galvanizing hundreds of thousands of sympathizers from Syria to Iran to Iraq, what country in its right mind would send soldiers into a buffer zone? Rather than focusing on a military solution, Chait, the Bush administration and its proxy, Israel, would be well-advised to address the underlying grievances voiced by Palestinians and Lebanese.

MARCY WINOGRAD

Pacific Palisades

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Re “Muslim Leaders Demand Inclusion,” Aug. 5

Los Angeles City Councilman Jack Weiss says Muslims need to get in line with “mainstream America” when it comes to the Middle East crises. He is the one who is out of step because he wants to continue the war but the majority of Americans and the rest of the world want a cease-fire. And he needs to stop calling all Arab and Muslim countries and their people terrorists.

JANE EL FARRA

Shadow Hills

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I believe these Muslim leaders want to make the Israeli-Lebanon crisis a religious war rather than a war between democracy and terrorism. It’s the same rhetoric we hear from Iran, Syria and the U.N. How can Israel fight an enemy that hides behind civilians without killing the innocents? Please, Muslim leaders, just once I would like to hear you condemn the terrorists and deny the religious implication.

ROBERT SCHNEPP

Port Hueneme