To the editor:

The August 28 editorial, "Can Israel and the Arab States Be Friends?," shows a fundamental misunderstanding of the dynamics of the Arab-Israeli conflict.

For one, it is only the Palestinian Arabs who show no interest in serious peace talks. Mahmoud Abbas walked away in 2008, has insisted he will never compromise on any of the core issues, has done his best to avoid negotiations and his foreign minister announced the Palestinian Arabs will never again negotiate directly with Israel.

In sharp contrast, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly called for direct negotiations with no preconditions. He even froze Israeli construction and released dozens of Palestinian terrorists in vain attempts to lure Abbas into serious negotiations.

Leaders of Arab countries like Egypt and Saudi Arabia clearly wish they could openly ally themselves with Israel. Unfortunately, just as the world is paying a price for not standing with Israel when that tiny democracy was the primary target of Islamist terrorists, the Arab countries are paying a price for inflaming their people against the world's premier scapegoat, the Jewish people and their state.

Sincerely,

Alan Stein