OPINION:
A diatribe against the state of Israel headlined “Clinton ignores Middle East conflict” (Letters, Tuesday) both ignores and distorts the reasons for the recent meeting of Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
According to reports, the purpose of the conference was to deliver a message to Israel’s prime minister not to attack Iran (which might damage President Obama’s re-election hopes) and to demand that Mr. Netanyahu meet with the new president of Egypt, Mohammed Morsi. Mr. Morsi has stated that he supports the terrorist group Hamas and that he wants to renegotiate Egypt’s treaty with Israel with the stipulation that Israel withdraw entirely to the temporary pre-1967 armistice lines. No mention was made in the meeting about the obvious counterargument, which is that if Israel must withdraw from territories won during Arab attempts to destroy it in 1967 and 1973, the Sinai with its oil fields should be returned to Israel.
Mrs. Clinton showed her true colors when asked about a possible pardon for Jonathan Pollard. She insisted he should remain in prison for the rest of his life. Meanwhile, she demanded Mr. Netanyahu immediately free Palestinian-Arab terrorists who have murdered Israeli citizens. Certainly, this one-sided meeting did not ignore the Palestinian Authority. Instead, it placed the Jewish state at risk for its future survival.
NELSON MARANS
Silver Spring
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