From Alain Hashimoto re Arab-Jewish conflict. (Letters to the Editor).

I have been subscribing to Catholic Insight for a number of years and have found it to be extremely informative and an excellent publication. However, one thing has continued to bother me. After reading Dr. Ray Mulrooney's letter to the editor in the last issue concerning Palestine, I feel it necessary to express my concern. Dr. Mulrooney is correct in his comments concerning the term 'Palestinians', since there has never existed an independent state by the name of 'Palestine' nor has any group of people ever existed by the name of 'Palestinian' until its recent fabrication. This is only one of so many lies the world has been fed concerning this conflict, and that far too many have accepted without questioning.

I must state that I have often found what I would call a strong anti-Israel sentiment, with the latest example being the recent article by Catholic Insight staff titled Muslims and Christians. The facts covered in the article do not present a problem in general; however, I was saddened towards the end when this bias reared its ugly head again with the statement that the Syrians "entered Lebanon" while the" Israelis invaded" Lebanon. Either they both entered Lebanon or they both invaded Lebanon.

Unfortunately, we have all been exposed to so many lies and half-truths concerning the Arab-Jewish conflict, and they have been perpetuated so long and so often that they are now accepted as truths. Anyone wishing to sift out the truth should read "From Time Immemorial - The Origins of the Arab-Jewish Conflict over Palestine" by Joan Peters, published by Harper & Row in 1984. Joan Peters, who is neither Jewish nor Arab, spent many years researching the facts in order to produce this scholarly work. She admits that before researching the facts, she was biased in favour of the Arab claims. Her in-depth research, however, forced her to revise her opinion of the situation.

Thank you for your excellent work, but please research the facts before commenting on the Arab-Jewish/Arab-Israeli conflict.

Mission, BC

Editor: The use of "Palestine" as descriptive of the "Holy Land" has an ancient tradition. I see nothing wrong with calling the people who live there "Palestinians." As I pointed out in my reply to Deacon Moran McMahon in December 2001, p. 7, the issue is not the origins of the conflict so much--although this is important--as the treatment of those who live in the Gaza and the West Bank since the territory was incorporated by Israel as their security zone in 1967. The treatment has been abominable and is even more so today.