MR Balejscsik is so ignorant of facts about the events he refers to in his letter (July 15), it is difficult to know where to begin.

I shall focus on the propaganda which asserts the Arabs "declared war" and invaded Israel in 1948. The truth is in 1948 the Israelis were conducting a brutal, and ultimately successful, terrorist campaign against the Palestinians and the occupying British forces.

This included the use of the now familiar techniques of bombing civilian targets, destruction of communities by murder and house demolition, indiscriminate killing of civilians including women and children and booby trapping bodies.

This constituted what we now call ethnic cleansing. When the Israelis made a unilateral declaration of independence on May 14, which was not sanctioned by the UN (which eventually defined two independent states, Israel and Palestine) the surrounding Arab nations, naturally, did not accept it but attempted to come to the aid of the Palestinian people.

It is, sadly, inevitable that, after so many years of brutal oppression, some Palestinians would follow the example of the Zionists and turn to terrorism. To them it seems that the rest of the world is either as ignorant of the fact, as Mr Balejcsik appears to be, or just doesn't care about their suffering.

Even today most Palestinians still seek justice exclusively through peaceful means. These people still have their right to justice which cannot be taken away because of the actions of a minority.

Monica Wusteman,

St Paul's Square, York.

Updated: 09:33 Wednesday, July 20, 2005