To the editor:

What The New York Times ("Inching toward a one-state solution?") calls a "nonsensical statement" by President Trump was actually the most sensible remark an American president has made about the Arab-Israeli conflict in years.

The Palestinian Authority, under both Yasser Arafat and Mahmoud Abbas, has repeatedly rejected the so-called "two-state solution," with Mahmoud Abbas also insisting he will never accept the basic principle of two states for two peoples.

As Albert Einstein would say, it is insanity to insist on mindlessly pursuing a policy that has so dismally failed, time and time again, and expect a different result. It's ironic that a former reality television star has turned into the American president finally showing himself open to fresh thinking.

After eight years of deadly failures in the Middle East, this should be welcomed as a hopeful sign rather than mindlessly characterized as "nonsensical."

Sincerely,

Alan Stein