To the Editor:

What a misleading and irresponsible cover story headline (“Why Israel Doesn’t Care About Peace,” Sept. 13). Time’s choosing the sensational completely misrepresents how important peace is to Israel. By your misguided reasoning, Israel has no reason to want peace since its economy is good and its beaches are nice.

You are, in effect, telling Israel’s enemies not to bother to come to the table, since Israel doesn’t need peace. You couldn’t send a more dangerous message.

How can Time magazine say Israelis don’t care about peace when, at every moment of every day, just about every family has a loved one in harm’s way protecting the country in military service? When most Israelis are in rocket-attack range from a variety of enemies?

I can think of no other nation that has enemies who vow to “wipe it off the map,” as Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has promised for Israel.

There are perhaps no people more concerned with peace and in need of it, than Israelis … who have never truly experienced it at home.

--Daniel S. Mariaschin
B’nai B’rith International Executive Vice President