Peace Talks

* In one July 19 article, I read that President Clinton is delaying his trip to Japan to close a Mideast peace deal with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat at the Camp David summit. In the same edition, I read “Israelis and Palestinians Are Bracing for Violence at Home,” detailing how, peace deal or no peace deal, the Palestinians are planning massive, armed violence and are instructing “boys in how to kill, fabricate and deliver firebombs and break down and reassemble automatic rifles.” This is, of course, in complete violation of the Oslo peace accords that Arafat signed with Israel a few years ago.

What in the name of heaven is Israel doing negotiating its own land with these people? The Palestinians are clearly showing they don’t want peace. They want the land of Israel and will honor no peace agreement until they get it.

ROBERTA RUBIN

Los Angeles

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Although Daoud Kuttab (Commentary, July 17) correctly asserts that refugees were created when the state of Israel was created on the basis of a U.N. resolution, he neglects to mention that the original plan was to create two states, Israel and Palestine. However, that plan was scrapped when the Arab world refused to accept the existence of the Jewish state. Therefore, there was no homeland created for these people.

This is not Israel’s fault, and although from a humanitarian and moral standpoint, the U.N. (which is the true responsible party) should help these people, why blame Israel? Does Israel ask reparations for all the unprovoked attacks on it, designed to exterminate the country, that first occurred immediately following the creation of Israel in 1948?

Kuttab is correct that people were displaced due to the creation of Israel, but it is ridiculous to assume that the Palestinian people are blameless for their fate and that Israel should shoulder the moral and financial burden.

HOWARD R. WEINSTEIN

Marina del Rey

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I couldn’t agree more with what Kuttab wrote in “Recognize the Palestinians’ Right to Return.” I just want to add that when Jews demand compensation from the German government for what happened to them during World War II, they should do the same and compensate all Palestinians and let them return home.

VAHE CHARKHUTIAN

Whittier

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A July 14 letter seems to suggest that declaring a Palestinian state is equivalent to declaring war on Israel. Does the writer also believe that the unilateral formation of Israel in 1948 was a declaration of war against Jordan? The Munich agreements ratified the total subjugation of a people who could not defend themselves by a strong military power. Is that one of the similarities to the present Mideast “talks”?

CHARLES KUBILOS

Ventura