Re “Something out of nothing,” editorial, Nov. 24

The Annapolis conference is destined to fail for the same reason all previous attempts to negotiate Mideast peace have failed: There is no diplomatic solution to the conflict. Arabs have violently rejected every settlement they have been offered, including the Peel Commission recommendations of 1937, the U.N. Partition Plan of 1947 and the generous offer brokered by President Clinton in 2000. The reason has never been the borders of Israel, the so-called occupation or the need for a 23rd Arab state; it’s the very existence of the Jewish state.

Unless the Palestinians forgo their fantasy of destroying Israel, there is no point in holding any summits, as they will end only in increased bloodshed. There is no diplomatic solution on the horizon, only a military one.

Steven Goldberg
National vice president
Zionist Organization of America
Los Angeles