To the Editor:
James Klutznick’s conclusions in his Op-Ed are profoundly misguided. The rule of law should be applied equally. No one, in Jewish communities or Arab settlements, should be permitted to build on land legally owned by another. Israeli law finally emulates American law in outlawing direct foreign government funding of organizations opposed to the existence of the statem which in the U.S. is called treason.
Klutznick believes that peace would bloom if only Israel‘s leaders would make the “right” concessions. Just as the Arabs do not believe that Jews have any history in the Holy Land, Klutznick and his followers believe that Arabs only hate Jews because the Jews are on that land. Terrorism against Jews began when Arabs controlled the region they now claim for another state. Their leaders speak of every square inch of Israel as occupied land. Polls in Arab countries with peace treaties with Israel show the vast majority favoring Israel’s destruction.
If we are to believe Arab political speeches, sermons, foundation documents, school curriculums, media and nearly all mainstream sectors in most Arab countries, there are no Israeli concessions that would bring peace. There is no “Yes, but …” that negates evidence that the core issue is Israel’s existence and not its borders, policies, refugees, where Jews are permitted to have communities, or any other distraction from reality. Klutznick’s calls for unilateral Israeli concessions are toxic to any potential peace and serve to enable Islamic hatred of Jews while emboldening terrorists.
Michael Perloff
Cherry Hill, N.J.
