Sir, - One cannot but be taken aback at the stream of letters hostile to Israel appearing in the Letters page.
Arab children are shot. But the people who train these boys and fill them with hatred and false religious notions are never brought into the dock. No one denies that it is dreadful to have children shot. But we must ask who puts them in the line of fire. Young Israelis are murdered by a bomb-blast at a disco. Critics of Israel sidestep when asked to comment. Bombs in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, coastal towns are never mentioned by certain writers.
Let us look at Jerusalem, the Holy City of three faiths. The entire city is lusted for by the PLO. But when it suits Arab terrorists, suicide bombers are let loose on it.
Israel would not be interested in Arab territory if it were not used as a base for attacks on Israel. Each time there is an Israeli response to an attack, Mr Arafat at once shouts that Israel wants to destroy the peace process. This claim is swallowed with relish. No one ask why the Israelis had to respond. It is sad indeed that an Israeli boy and girl are shot dead, but it is obscene to see a grinning young Arab in uniform and holding a rifle being hailed as the successful killer.
What is really sticking in the throats of Israeli critics is that for years only Israel pointed to the true sources of terrorism - Iran, Libya, Iraq and the PLO and its associates. The trouble is that no European nation listened.
The US has tried to get Israel and the PLO round the table. Every time this has failed, proving to the hilt Abba Eban's belief that the Palestinians never fail to miss an opportunity when an opportunity is offered. - Yours, etc.,
Brian Quinn, Kincora Grove, Dublin 3.