Israel and the Arabs
From the Rev Tony Crowe Sir: Mr Alder's letter justifying Israel's policies is a marked contrast to Mr Prittie's most reasonable letter. Paranoiac polemics devalue any constructive discussion on present Israeli policies, which are already on shaky foundations, both on moral and legal grounds. It would be interesting to know how Mr Adler describes Jewish critics of Israel like Moshe Menubin (father of Yehudi) who regard political Zienism as a Jewish heresy.
There is some confusion as to what General Dayan actually said on Israel's primary objectives. It seems that he made two contradictory statements. Le Monde (February 25-26) published a correction without comment from the Israeli ambassador in Paris, that Dayan had said that peace was Israel's primary objective. This is not the first time that General Dayan has contradicted himself, addressing different audiences on the same day.
If his supreme objective is to make peace, why is he so keen to accelerate the planting of Jewish settlements in occupied territories, in defiance of the United Nations?
The Palestinians have suffered a grave injustice since the creation of Israel. Attlee said this in 1958: "The creation of Israel was a mistake, but Britain must not allow the young state of Israel to be swept away." In return for secure boundaries, Israel should give up territory acquired in war. Her present policy of ' creating (acts' and the vandal isation of Arab Jerusalem by building high rise hotels seem to be making peace impossible. This is why I look to America to bring pressure to bear on Israel. Her motives may be wrong — Arab oil — but she could bring about peace and justice in the Middle East for two peoples who have suffered so much in history. Tony Crowe Charlton Parish Church of St Luke 367 Charlton Lane, London SE7 Sir: Your Beirut correspondent (' The Khartoum drama,' Spectator's Notebook, March 10) seems to be under some illusions. He states that Arafat's acts " dispel, once and for all, speculation that Black September is a secret offshoot of the Al Fatah guerrilla group." This is hardly borne out by the words of President Nimeiry, which show that the operation was masterminded by Fatah's representative, Fawaz Yassin, who ran the Palestine Liberation Organisation office in Khartoum. Apart from this fact there remains the interview held on West German television on January 29, when a defecting member of Black September said that it was merely a special group within Fatah. No doubt the full facts will become available during the forthcoming trial in Khartoum.
S. Horne 21 Mount Grove, Edgware, Middlesex
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