To the editor:
Re the editorial "President Obama and the Peace Process," published April 25:
One wonders where the editors of The New York Times have been the last 64 years.
The United Nations put forth a proposal back in 1947. The Zionists accepted it; the Arabs rejected it and launched a war. Little has changed since.
Israel has put forth proposal after proposal, the latest, absurdly generous one less than three years ago. The Arabs, including the Palestinian Arabs, have rejected them all - or not even bothered to respond. The supposedly "moderate" Mahmoud Abbas refuses to even pretend to negotiate and insists he will never make any concessions on any of the core issues.
The United States has also put forth numerous plans, including President Clinton's proposals in 2000. None has done any good, because of the intransigence of the Arabs.
Rather than continuing the counterproductive policy of appeasing the Palestinian Arabs every time they reject peace and while they continue to promote hatred and glorify brutal terrorists, President Obama should give Mahmoud Abbas the phone number of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and tell him to pick up the phone when he's ready to talk about peace.
Sincerely,
Alan Stein, Ph.D.