Mideast summit faces many hurdles

Re “Something out of nothing,” editorial, Nov. 24

The Annapolis conference is destined to fail for the same reason all previous attempts to negotiate Mideast peace have failed: There is no diplomatic solution to the conflict. Arabs have violently rejected every settlement they have been offered, including the Peel Commission recommendations of 1937, the U.N. Partition Plan of 1947 and the generous offer brokered by President Clinton in 2000. The reason has never been the borders of Israel, the so-called occupation or the need for a 23rd Arab state; it’s the very existence of the Jewish state.

Unless the Palestinians forgo their fantasy of destroying Israel, there is no point in holding any summits, as they will end only in increased bloodshed. There is no diplomatic solution on the horizon, only a military one.

Steven Goldberg

National vice president

Zionist Organization

of America

Los Angeles

The international community cannot stand idly by where human rights are trampled. The Palestinians have been tormented by abject poverty, desolation and home demolitions. Gaza is teetering on the brink of a humanitarian disaster. The economy is already in tatters. Many will die as a consequence of the continued ghettoization of Gaza, the disruption of electricity and water services and the lack of adequate sanitation.

It is true that Israelis have suffered from rocket attacks and suicide terrorism. However, the ghettoization of Palestinians will not bring security to Israeli civilians. On the contrary, it is bound to sow the seeds of enmity and radicalism for future generations to reap, and provide a pretext for those who feel that the international community lacks impartiality in the confrontation between modernists and extremists.

Munjed Farid Al Qutob

London

The Arab-Israeli conflict and its resolution can be summarized in two short sentences:

Arabs relinquish all their weapons equals immediate peace in Palestine.

Israel gives up all its weapons equals all Israeli Jews are dead within 48 hours.

William Haynes

Rancho Palos Verdes

The current Middle East peace talks are hampered by Israel’s possession of hidden nuclear weapons. While it is well known that it has warheads and the means to deliver them, Israel and the United States maintain absolute silence on the issue. This intimidating stockpile is made more threatening by Israel’s refusal to join the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty or allow international inspection of its nuclear facilities. By ignoring this hidden threat while insisting that Iran abandon uranium enrichment, the United States emphasizes its bias toward Israel and mistrust of the Arab world. In such an atmosphere, peace talks are unlikely to succeed.

Peter G. Cohen

Santa Barbara