DAVID SOWBY,
Sir, - Fred Johnston (August 6th) castigates Irish writers for their "inaction and utter silence in the face of the Israeli rape of Palestine".
Has it occurred to Mr Johnston that perhaps his fellow writers have kept silent having concluded that any country whose citizens, civilian as well as military, are daily under attack, has the right and the moral duty to defend itself?
Tragically, Salah Shehada, the founder and commander of Hamas's military wing, and the perpetrator of so many civilian deaths in restaurants, pizza parlours and buses, had his family with him when he was killed. The Israelis have admitted that this was a mistake, and have apologised for it. This is consistent with their record of trying to avoid civilian deaths, even at added risk to their own soldiers.
Once again it seems to be necessary to reiterate that as recently as 2000 Yasser Arafat could have had a Palestinian capital in Jerusalem and an end to the Israeli presence in the West Bank and Gaza. His response to this offer was to continue the campaign of terror. - Yours, etc.,
DAVID SOWBY,
Knocksinna Crescent,
Dublin 18.