One or the other

Sir, – David M. Weinberg (“Abbas’s intransigence and insolence,” Observations, February 21) quotes Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat’s incessant false claim that he is an “indigenous descendant of the biblical Canaanites” and that “Joshua bin Nun burned down my hometown Jericho.” It seems that Israel’s hasbara (public diplomacy) is extremely impotent when it comes to countering the lie that Palestinians are an ancient people. Both the ancient Canaanites and the ancient Philistines are, as stated in Genesis 10: 6-14, from the descendants of Ham: “And the sons of Ham: Cush, Egypt, Put and Canaan... And Egypt begot... the Philistines.” The Arabs (including Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas) cannot claim that they are the descendants of both Ham and Ishmael. Let them pick one or the other. If they say they are the descendants of Ham, let them give up the Cave of the Patriarchs, where Abraham, the father of the Jews, was buried. Incidentally, both the Canaanites and the Philistines are either long gone or assimilated. ELAINE SNOWBELL Efrat

Sir, – David M. Weinberg deserves a great deal of credit for focusing our attention on the very essence of the asymmetrical “peace process.” But by inference, Israel’s constantly capitulating negotiators will be found guilty. I urge Weinberg to follow-up with another insightful article explaining why US Secretary of State John Kerry and most of the “international community” relate to Israel with this lopsided double standard. Does Israel’s failure to demonstrate the justice of its cause have something to do with a lack of self-respect, failure to really understand the Arab mindset, strong covert anti-Semitism abroad, national fatigue and, as in psychiatrist Kenneth Levin’s words, “delusions of a people under siege”? ZVI NOVEMBER Jerusalem