To the Editor:

Nicholas Kristof was right about one thing: he foresaw angry responses when he blamed Israel for the lack of a peace deal (“Is Israel its own worst enemy?” Oct. 6).

Kristof writes: “Nothing is more corrosive than Israel’s growth of settlements because they erode hope of a peace agreement in the future.” Really, nothing is more corrosive than that? Not Hamas rockets and mortars fired onto Israeli civilians? Not the kidnapping of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, now more than five years into captivity? Not the incessant Palestinian incitement to violence against Jews and Israel? Not the Palestinian effort for U.N. recognition riddled with preconditions?

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu enacted a 10-month settlement freeze and yet that still wasn’t enough to lure Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas back to the negotiating table.

In addition to the most recent freeze, previous Israeli governments have made generous offers that have been rejected. So is the settlement issue really what’s stopping the Palestinians from peace talks?

Kristof is guilty of a double standard. Though Israel is a democracy, it can’t do all the heavy lifting.