In whose interest?

The recent editorial on the aftermath of Israel's war against Hezbollah states that "Israel alone cannot root out or tame Hezbollah, nor is it clear how a destabilized Lebanon serves Israel's security interests" ("After Lebanon," September 8). Israel recognized this when it unilaterally withdrew from southern Lebanon in May 2000 after the UN committed to stationing troops along the Israel-Lebanon border. But because the UN forces were completely ineffectual and the Lebanese government refused to deploy troops, Hezbollah was able to occupy southern Lebanon. The actions of the UN and Lebanon, and not anything Israel did following its withdrawal, caused Hezbollah's repeated unprovoked infiltrations of Israel, culminating in the July 12 attacks. Far from serving Israel's security interest, the destabilization of Lebanon benefits those who caused it: Hezbollah and its supporters in Iran and Syria.

You write that "Israel will eventually have to negotiate with its enemies, beginning with the Palestinians," ignoring that Israel has engaged in peace talks with the Palestinians for years and has accepted the principles of President Bill Clinton's peace plan. You also ignore that the current Hamas government refuses to accept Israel in any territorial borders. What Hezbollah seeks is Israel's destruction, hardly an issue about which Israel can, or should, negotiate.

JOSEPH SCHICK

Flushing, N.Y.