Madam, - Chris Ó Rálaigh's letter of August 7th is startling in its naivety and political misunderstanding.
His suggestion that an Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon and the cessation of military activities, would erode support for Hizbullah is too simplistic.
To withdraw at this stage of the campaign would be to capitulate to the forces of Islamofascism.
It would be devastating for the West if Israel (a democratic nation surrounded by regimes and groups which actively seek its destruction) prematurely withdrew from Lebanon before Hizbullah was crushed. It would be another victory for Islamist terrorists and their allies on the anti-war, anti-American left in the on-going war on terror.
Mr Ó'Rálaigh's assertion that Israel's assault on Lebanon is rallying more and more supporters to the Hizbullah cause is valid. However, the fear of offending your enemy's supporters cannot be a legitimate justification for inaction in a time of war. The threat which Hizbullah poses to Israel cannot be appeased, ignored or encouraged; it must be destroyed.
The "just settlement" of which Mr O'Rálaigh speaks must include the destruction of Hizbullah as a terrorist organisation, the deployment of an efficient UN peacekeeping force (which would engage with any resurrected Hizbullah threat) and a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that would allow Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace with each other with respect, dignity and the right to self-determination.
Finally, the eyes of the international community must then turn to Iran, which is the spider at the centre of the web of the on-going conflict in Lebanon and Israel. To quell the Iranian fires of hatred against the West would be to regain the initiative for those who cherish democracy and personal freedom. - Yours, etc,
CIARAN McCABE, Beechpark, Lucan, Co Dublin.