Readers React: Don’t forget the Israeli-Palestinian peace process

To the editor: Former Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Michael B. Oren is absolutely right that Gaza needs to be demilitarized and that moderate Palestinian Authority officials such as President Mahmoud Abbas need to be involved in ending the latest round of bloodshed. (“A Gaza solution: demilitarization,” Op-Ed, July 21)

But he omits the paramount importance of finally implementing the Oslo Accords toward actually creating manageable borders between the states of Israel and Palestine, based on a withdrawal to something resembling the pre-1967 borders.

If reporters and commentators fail to bring up the peace process, it’s easy to forget — or for current generations never to learn — the roots of the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. Each people deserves its own nation, a process that was begun when plans for the states of Israel and Palestine were created by the United Nations in 1947.

Eileen White Read, Pasadena

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To the editor: Oren is the voice of reason in the conflict between Israel and Hamas, but unfortunately reason doesn’t work with people who believe dying for their cause gets them rewards in the hereafter. In this situation religion is useless and politics is the only solution, in my opinion.

What Gaza needs is a rational and respected leader who will rise to the top and be part of the solution rather than part of the problem.

I am old enough to recall the late Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir: “Peace will come when the Arabs will love their children more than they hate us.”

Bob Warnock, Eagle Rock

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To the editor: Gaza — a narrow strip of land in which 1.8 million Palestinians live — is sealed off by land and sea, unable to import many necessities and unable to export. Is anyone surprised by the rebellion of the imprisoned population?

Israel says it has a right to defend itself. Yes, but so too do the people of Gaza have a right to live free of the domination of Israel.

Doris Isolini Nelson, Los Angeles