Myriad views on mayhem

Re “Diplomatic semantics,” editorial, Aug. 8

What I find remarkable is that our government and the media repeatedly portray Hezbollah and Hamas in the Middle East as “non-state” players in the governments being attacked by Israel. Get real.

Hamas is the “state” player representing the Palestinians. It was democratically elected by the clear majority of Palestinians. Hezbollah is a “state” player, democratically elected and representing a substantial population in Lebanon.

The finest U.S.-supplied precision munitions are raining down on suburbs and apartment buildings, killing four or five noncombatants for every Hezbollah fighter. We are providing the terror that polishes the image of Hezbollah. Our proxy war on the Arab Middle East seems only to serve the interests of those we are attacking. It’s time to call off the dogs of war.

NIC SANBURG

Monrovia

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The Lebanese government has indicated that finally, after six years, it will send troops to the south. Wow, isn’t that great! The Lebanese government caused Beirut as well as other cities to be destroyed, caused hundreds of its own citizens to be killed, thousands to be injured and hundreds of thousands to be displaced, all because the government refused to disarm Hezbollah and send its armed forces to the south six years ago, per U.N. resolution.

It is too bad Lebanon did not honor the U.N. resolution six years ago. Perhaps we would have had peace instead of war.

BERNARD HOFFMAN

Beverly Hills

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Re “Israel’s unhappy exit strategy,” Opinion, Aug. 8

In his latest discharge, Daniel Jonah Goldhagen surveys the situation in Lebanon, where Israel is finding difficulty going forward or backward, and airily recommends an escalation of military action into Syria and Iran as the “way out.”

Thus with a few taps of his fingers, this comfortably situated Harvard academic with no military or strategic expertise recommends the wholesale slaughter of tens of thousands of people.

Give him and his bloodthirsty friends mops and buckets to clean up the blood and excrement afterward. For myself, I utterly reject the notion that Israel is reducing Beirut to rubble in my interest.

JAMES H. MARTIN

Rolla, Mo.

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Israel’s apologists conveniently insist on viewing the current conflict in a vacuum, divorced from the issue that is at the root of practically all the crises that plague the Middle East. Israel holds the only keys that can open the door to peace, but unfortunately has been so intransigent that it may now be too late to do so.

Israel must comply with U.N. Resolution 242 by returning to its pre-1967 borders, fairly compensate Palestinians whose property Israel confiscated, aid in the establishment of a viable and contiguous Palestinian state and release Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails. Without taking these actions, there is no hope of ending the endless, escalating cycle of violence.

GARY GEGAN

Culver City