To the Editor:

Jerrold Kessel and Pierre Klochendler make important points about the need for each side in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to reassure the other about its willingness to compromise (''Blair's peace score: Palestine now,'' March 15).

Still, one can't escape the fact that 60 years ago, and still today in a different way, the critical stumbling block to peace is Palestinian rejection of the legitimate right of the Jewish people to a state.

Today, by not dealing with terrorism and hate, the Palestinians continue to send the message that their war against Israel's legitimacy and existence continues. Yes, it is a case of the more things change the more they stay the same, but the focus must be on the need for true Palestinian acceptance of Israel. When this happens, all else is possible.