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Your Sept. 22 editorial on the Gaza confrontation ending in a cease-fire ("Lost Opportunity: Despite the Cease-Fire, America Is in a Weak Spot") leaves me perplexed. Rather than praising the administration for acting in concert with Egypt to stave off a ground war, which would have resulted in the death of thousands and the hardening of negative attitudes in both Israel and Palestine for yet another decade, you chide the administration for not negotiating with Hamas directly.
I would have preferred your building the editorial about the sentiment in the third paragraph, which noted the opportunity this development presents for continuing the move to a more stable situation on the border and, hopefully, a less volatile atmosphere in the region which could lead to real negotiations directly or indirectly between Palestinians and Israelis.
You also could have noted the ability of the administration to work constructively with the new populist Morsi government in Egypt in this crisis and the possibilities it opens up for dialogue between the United States and the most significant leader to emerge in the Arab world since the transformation of Arab political life in the past year.
ALEXANDER ORBACH
Squirrel Hill
First Published November 27, 2012 12:00 am
