On peace in the Middle East.(Letter to the editor)

May 8, 2006

To the Editor:

If William B. Quandt is to have any credibility as an expert "on the peace process in the Middle East" (published in the Spring 2006 issue of Daedalus), he should at least know that the first name of former Israeli Prime Minister Barak is Ehud (the same as current Prime Minister Olmert's) and not Aharon. He fails to mention that among those blaming Arafat for the failure of the Camp David talks were not only Clinton and Ross, but Saudi Arabia's Prince Bandar. While mentioning the unfounded speculation that Arafat's death was due to poison, he fails to mention the more plausible speculation that it was due to AIDS. He conveniently ignores the fact that the charter of Hamas declares that the elimination of Israel as a political entity is an unalterable principle that cannot be amended or moderated. He joins the far right in Israel when he blames rather than praises Ariel Sharon for turning over the entire Gaza Strip to the Palestinians. It is naive in the extreme to believe that "peace" can be achieved when one of the parties refuses to recognize the other party's right to exist.

--Solomon W. Golomb

Solomon W. Golomb, a Fellow of the American Academy since 2003, is University Professor at the Communication Sciences Institute ...