IN his optimistically titled “The doomed Mideast ‘peace process’ ’’ (oped, Oct. 14), Jeff Jacoby insists that since 1948 “the Arabs’ ’’ goal has been the elimination of Israel, and that no diplomatic solution will be achieved “until the Palestinians abandon their anti-Israel rejectionism.’’

 

Jacoby’s sweeping, inflammatory generalizations not only deny any Israeli responsibility for the stalemate - and there is ample basis for both sides to acknowledge their respective contributions - but also ignore the facts, many of which present reason for hope. For example, a September International Peace Institute poll found that two-thirds of Palestinians support the Arab Peace Initiative and a two-state peace plan as a way to implement it, with a clear majority embracing mutual recognition of Israel and Palestine as homelands of their peoples.

 

Whether Jacoby wishes to recognize it, this represents a big change from 2000, when most Palestinians rejected similar post-Camp David proposals. Moreover, the contours of a comprehensive peace deal, like those painstakingly drawn by indefatigable and visionary Israelis and Palestinians in the Geneva Accord, are well known and within reach. We’re much more likely to get there with enlightened political leadership that, in the face of spoilers on both sides, honors what most Israelis and Palestinians fervently want: a just and lasting peace.