US should reconsider foreign aid

Regarding the Opinion page article, "Foreign Aid Serves US Interests - Keep it Flowing," Dec. 31: One doesn't have to be an isolationist to believe that the current United States foreign aid program is counterproductive.

For instance, for years the country receiving the greatest amount of our foreign aid has been Israel, which has used it to fund the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, Jonathan Pollard's spying on the US, and the continuing occupation, oppression, and dispossession of the Palestinian population in the West Bank and Gaza.

Why does the author want us to pay for activities that are contrary to international law and the stated policy of the US government? Elizabeth Barlow, Ann Arbor, Mich.

Letters are welcome. Only a selection can be published, subject to condensation, and none acknowledged. Please address them to "Readers Write," One Norway St., Boston, MA 02115.