I AGREE wholeheartedly with Joyce Pickard's observations about Israel's nuclear stockpiles (March 31).

How can there possibly be peace in the Middle East until every country is rid of nuclear weapons.

Comments coming out of the US and UK stink of hypocrisy when they condemn countries such as North Korea and Iran - and Iraq before they bombed it and realised they didn't have any - for their supposed stockpile of weapons of mass destruction, yet still arm Israel, which has a proven stock of nuclear weapons.

Of course, we would have never known about Israel's stock pile if it had not been for the bravery of Mordechai Vanunu who leaked details of Israel's nuclear plan to the Sunday Times.

The result of his actions was to be kidnapped by Israeli agents and jailed for 18 years. He is due for release on April 21 after spending most of the time in solitary confinement.

However, how can we rely on the UN Security Council to do anything about the threat from Israel? The US has vetoed more than 30 resolutions against Israel, with the UK abstaining on many of them.

Andrew Collingwood,

Turners Croft, York.

Updated: 10:09 Friday, April 02, 2004