Dear Editor:
It's become a tradition to condemn Israel for actions that we eventually realize we should have praised. (See Osirik, 1981.) We repeatedly pressure Israel to pull back when defending itself; generally that pressure is counterproductive and sends precisely the wrong message to the terrorists who are not only trying to destroy Israel but would also like to destroy America.
Four years ago, we foolishly pressured Israel to lift a siege on Yassir Arafat's headquarters, giving assurances that the criminal terrorists he was protecting would be incarcerated under American and British supervision.
It was predictable that, sooner or later, the Palestinian Arabs would render that agreement caduq, just as they have reneged on all their commitments. Israel's reaction in capturing those murderers, who were about to be set loose, should be applauded, not criticized.
The Times' editorial was entitled "as if that fire needed fuel." The primary reason the fire keeps raging is that the firefighter (Israel) is repeatedly prevented from dousing it.
As Pete Seeger asked in song, when will we ever learn?
Sincerely,
Alan H. Stein