Sir, - I write in reply to Boaz Rodkin, ChargΘ d'Affaires at the Embassy of Israel (August 16th), who attacks the journalism of Robert Fisk and asserts certain untruths regarding Palestinian opinion.
If there is one thing that Palestinians and Israelis agree about, it is that journalists can often get their facts wrong, or produce distorted, even biased articles.
Robert Fisk is an exceptional to the rule. He is a highly skilled journalist of utmost integrity, and an astute observer of Middle Eastern politics. He reports the news without appealing for sympathy for any specific causes. His coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been, in my opinion, among the best journalism yet produced.
Palestinians are fully committed to the Oslo accords of 1993. The Israelis have failed to live up to their side of the bargain, offering the people of Palestine only meagre concessions. They have continued through successive governments since 1993 to hinder and subvert any final status agreement.
The aggressive polices, including targeted political assassinations and the countless killings of unarmed children in cold blood have of course provoked responses from the general population and extreme groups.
It is the policy of the Israelis to force the Palestinians into an unfavourable light in the international media. They force blame on the Palestinian Authority for being unable to contain paramilitary groups in the Palestinian territories.
Extremist groups cannot easily be contained, not by the Palestinians, the Israelis, nor any other country. We need only look at Spain and Ireland for proof of this, or even at attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinian cites in the West Bank and Gaza.
To blame President Arafat for failing to control paramilitary groups is a flawed basis on which to incriminate and repudiate the genuine efforts of the Palestinian Authority.
All sensible Israelis should ask the question: how many lives must be lost before real peace negotiations can take place? A historic opportunity rests with the Israeli people to grasp peace and establish stable relations with Palestine, and end a futile conflict. Israelis are in a position to compromise, Palestinians are only waiting.
Peace can be built only through mutual dialogue, not provocation and political obfuscation. Far from demonstrating any willingness to compromise, the Israelis continue to play games, including efforts to exert politically motivated spin in the media on any and all developments. - Yours, etc.,
Adnan Shabab, Belgrave Road, Rathmines, Dublin 6.