THE perception of Israel we are fed by Monica Wusteman (Letters, February 27) and Ben Young (Letters, February 26) is of a militaristic, racist and totalitarian state.

In their campaign to demonise Israel, they have abandoned logic and objectivity and have accepted that the narrative provided by those who wish for nothing less than the destruction of Israel in any format is the narrative they too should be following.

Ms Wusteman says that Israel is not a civilised country, but is she really as pro-Palestinian as she maintains or is she simply anti-Israel and the idea of a Jewish country existing at all?

Her approach does nothing to help the Palestinian cause as this complex conflict can only be resolved by dialogue, not by shouting down the representative of one of the parties involved simply because he has a point of view different from your own.

David Lyon, Kingfisher Close, Huntington, York.

 

• I WAS fascinated to learn from Ken Barnes (Letters, February 28) that Israel is ‘entitled’ to ‘all Palestine’.

I am now collecting money for his train fare so he can explain this to the United Nations, the World Court, the Foreign Office, etc., all of whom are under the impression that Israel is illegally occupying the West Bank.

Back in the real world, with Israel’s near-total loss of diplomatic credibility, there is now a chance for a reasonable solution to the Israel/Palestine injustice.

Israel need only withdraw its soldiers from the West Bank, close the settlements, stop strangling Gaza, and make an effort to fulfil the rights of the refugees.

This is nowhere near what the Palestinians truly deserve, after a history of ethnic cleansing, dispossession, murder, torture, and imprisonment.

But polls suggest that it would be acceptable to most Palestinians and welcomed by most Israelis.

The Government of Israel, of course, has no intention of doing any such thing; but the international boycott may be starting to change minds even there.

Dr Ben Young, Margaret Street, York.