Hamas victory roils the Mideast waters

The Times’ editorial “Mideast uncertainty, again,” (Jan. 27) misses the point when it says that most Palestinians want peace. That may be true, but we need to listen to who is doing the talking for Palestinians and who the Palestinian people have chosen. Their political leaders and the imams are literally screaming for the destruction of Israel. At best, the more moderate ones will accept a two-state solution, serving as no more than a temporary truce, a step toward their very clearly stated goal of the elimination of Israel.

RICHARD LUSKIN

Studio City

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Few news articles mention the $1.9 million the Bush administration spent to improve Fatah’s chances in the Palestinian election. This ham-fisted meddling by the administration, which was widely reported in Palestine and Israel, no doubt contributed to the Hamas victory. Everybody points out that Hamas is anti-Israel and a terrorist organization, but nobody mentions Israel’s own past terrorist activities and the fact that many of those same Jewish terrorists have become part of mainstream Israeli political parties.

Palestinians deserve a government that represents their interests and not the interests of such foreign powers as the United States or Israel. We should give Hamas a chance to see if it can govern effectively and not prejudge it before it has even taken office.

GARY E. KAMINSKI

Buena Vista, Pa.

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President Bush and his neocon gang have gone on and on about democracy in the Middle East, yet when the Palestinians democratically elect Hamas, he says our government won’t deal with the organization.

What hypocrites we have become. Hamas was rightfully elected. To Palestinians, its members are freedom fighters, resisting an oppressive occupation. So, the Palestinians spoke. They want the Israeli military as well as its armed settlers out of their land. We need to start to listen and not react hysterically. We taxpayers must stop funding Israel’s occupation of another people’s land and insist that all illegal settlements be dismantled, along with the terrible wall built on Palestinian property.

GRETA BERLIN

Los Angeles