Middle-East Quagmire

The article by Ehud Sprinzak (“Why All James Baker’s Trips to the Middle Eat Won’t Produce Peace,” Opinion, May 19) proves that even a Jewish professor can be wrong in his conclusions about Israel’s Middle East problem.

Secretary of State James Baker won’t produce peace in the Middle East until he can get past Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Jordan, Syria and other Arab states’ intransigence. As individual nations, they have only to cease their state of war, imposition of the Arab boycott and refusal to have diplomatic relationships with Israel, and the conditions will be created for Middle East peace with justice for all. No matter what changes are made in Israeli politics, even if everything Sprinzak claims is corrected, peace will not be achieved until Arab positions change.

Ask Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, or the others, what is the reason they are in a state of war with Israel? Israel has asked them to come to negotiations, with all good intentions to resolve their claims. Neither Syria nor any of the others will do that. They just present their uncompromising demands to Baker, and he comes back to Israel with requests for more concessions. They will keep asking for more until the final concession: elimination of Israel. And then they will go on fighting with each other.

ALBERT BENGUIAT

Carlsbad