Letter to the Editor of the New York Times

Dear Editor:

Here we go again. The U.S. has declared that it is frustrated with the lack of progress in the “peace process.” And whom does this Administration blame? None other than the difficult Israelis.

Americans have cause to be frustrated. It should not, however, be with Prime Minister Netanyahu, but with the Palestinians who have not complied with a single commitment they have made during this so-called “peace process.” Where is the righteous indignation expressing anger at the Palestinian Authority’s non-compliance.

Dear Editor:

Here we go again. The U.S. has declared that it is frustrated with the lack of progress in the “peace process.” And whom does this Administration blame? None other than the difficult Israelis.

Americans have cause to be frustrated. It should not, however, be with Prime Minister Netanyahu, but with the Palestinians who have not complied with a single commitment they have made during this so-called “peace process.” Where is the righteous indignation expressing anger at the Palestinian Authority’s non-compliance. Does it make sense to demand that further territorial concessions be made by Israel to a group that has failed to change its charter which calls for the destruction of Israel? Among other things, it has also failed to root out terrorist infrastructure in areas under its control, and can’t even unequivocally condemn the terrorism.

Nobody ever said Arafat was stupid. It is obvious to him that if all else fails, the United States will put pressure on Israel. The Administration may even propose its own plan for withdrawal from the territories. The United States repeatedly makes the mistake of signaling to the Palestinians and the Arab states that when the going gets tough, we will cave and try to drag Israel along with us. It is time the United States stop demanding territorial concessions when there is neither a definition nor a realistic vision of the final outcome of this process.

And while this Administration blames Israel for the failure of the negotiations, it may as well blame Israel for the failure of the Arab coalition to hold together in the face of Saddam’s latest challenge. But, the fault is our own. There is little confidence on the part of our Arab allies that the U.S. has the resolve to do what is necessary to eliminate the madman of Baghdad. Why should anyone stick their neck out if, when the dust settles, Saddam will remain strong and victorious? They are right. After President Clinton is gone, Saddam will still be in power.

It is time for the U.S. to push for a “credible” withdrawal plan – but the emphasis should be on “credible” and not “withdrawal.”

Sincerely,

Thomas Neumann, Executive Director