As Mideast violence flares, hope for progress dims: Your Say
Secretary of State John Kerry plans to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas this week. Letters to the editor:
The vague and wishful call for an elusive, all-encompassing peace deal with Israeli and Palestinian states living side by side in harmony will not stop this cycle of violence (“Violence unabated, Kerry to meet with Netanyahu, Abbas”).
Rather, the Palestinian Authority must cast politics aside and immediately stop the vicious incitement. It has been disseminating rumors that Israel intends to take over the Holy Mount. Instead, there need to be joint calls for peace and calm from Palestinians and Israelis.
Young teens do not wield knives or strap on bomb vests because there is no peace accord. They do so because they are actively encouraged by adults full of hate.
Ron Weiss; St. James, N.Y.
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Thank you for informing us of the Israeli mother who has armed herself against perceived threats from the Palestinians whose land she illegally occupies (“‘Glocker mom,’ other Israeli settlers carry guns amid Palestinian violence”).
I trust Paste BN will follow this up with an article about the coping mechanism of the more than 2.5 million West Bank Palestinians, who have faced violence at the hands of the Israeli military since 1967.
Ramsay M. Harik; Bloomington, Ind.
Comments from Facebook are edited for clarity and grammar:
Forget about it. This tit-for-tat, childish bickering has gone on for generations now. Each side blames the other. No one wants to find a peaceful solution.
I say, let them fight it out until the bitter end.
— Milo Bendech
Religious fundamentalism is the most extreme of all supremacist ideologies. It will inevitably result in the triumph of hate and violence over love and peace.
— Lee Barclay
While two wrongs don’t make a right, Israel is clearly the aggressor. It is still pushing new settlements, border patrols are consistently antagonistic, and it holds a military and arms advantage.
I don’t advocate the extremist terrorist minority, yet clearly the majority of Palestinians just want to be left alone. The entire conflict is racist and incredibly senseless — on both sides.
— Michael Anthony Shea
This has nothing to do with culture. This has to do with hate. When the Arabs realize that Israel is not their enemy, there will be peace in the Middle East.
— Wayne Wastier
If Palestinians start throwing rocks at Hamas and push them into the sea, they will improve their lives 100 times over.
Good will come to them when they get the terrorists out of their country, so that sane leaders can emerge and seek out peace.
— George Mizzell
John Kerry wants urgent action to end the violence in Israel. There will be discussion of “real and tangible options.” In other words, he doesn’t have a clue, but he really wants things to get better.
— Carman Conforti