Speak Out

							8/5/97

Letters To the Editor
The Philadelphia Inquirer
P.O. Box 8263
Phil. Pa. l9l0l 
Fax: (215) 854-4483

To the Editor:


I want to tell you first how much I appreciated the story you printed 
last week (7/31/97) that so clearly unveiled Mr. Arafat's continual 
duplicity in the so-called "peace process." I'm referring to David Bedein's op-ed 
piece, "The Two faces of Yasir Arafat."
        Unfortunately, my enthusiasm was short lived. In your 
editorial, "Sabotaging Talks," I again encountered that infuriating double 
standard your paper seems to slide into whenever Israel is being discussed.
        In the aftermath of last weeks shattering terrorist attack 
in Jerusalem, you took both parties to task for their lack of peace-
making efforts. Arafat you felt had done "too little to crack down on 
terrorists" and was "deficient" in not allowing his police to cooperate more 
with Israel. A rather mild rebuke considering that fifteen more people had 
just been blown to smithereens, and 150 more horribly wounded, because of
Arafat's seemingly lackadaisical efforts.
        But when it comes to Israel, the victim of this vicious 
attack, you quickly take the gloves off. You directly accuse Netanyahu of failure 
"to carry out the letter and spirit of signed agreements..."
         How utterly unfair and untrue!
        Where and when has Israel violated the signed letter of the 
Oslo accords? If you have specific charges, you should cite them. The 
truth is Netanyahu and Israel are the ones who have doggedly moved forward in 
this process, faithfully making concession after concession (such as 
Hebron) inspite of their understandable lack of enthusiasm for this risk-
filled process. If anything, Netanyahu and Israel deserve your praise just 
for participating, not your scorn! Their lives are completely endangered 
if this process doesn't succeed! Israel still cannot afford to lose a 
single war!
        Arafat and the PA, on the other hand, have violated, and 
continue to violate almost all of the key stipulations of Oslo. And you make 
no reference of these violations whatsoever!
        Why did I not read in your editorial that the Palestinian 
Covenant still calls for Israel's destruction. That not one word of it has 
been changed yet?
         Why did I not read that 31 Palestinian terrorists, 
identified by our own CIA as killers of Jews, have not been handed over to Israeli
authorities as Oslo stipulates. Or that 14 of them have positions of
authority in the PA?
        Why did I not read about the relentless vilification of 
Israelis and Jews by Palestinian leaders in violation of Article 22? Such as 
the racist remark on July 11 by Sheikh Ekrima Sabri, the PA-appointed 
Mufti of Jerusalem, who said, "Oh Allah, destroy America, for she is ruled by
Zionist Jews...and take revenge...against the colonialist settlers 
who are sons of monkeys and pigs." A sermon broadcast on the Voice of 
Palestine without any criticism or apology.
        Why did I not read about how the PA was caught paying 
Palestinian children 30-50 shekels per day to riot?
        I could fill three more pages of  PA transgressions that 
violate both the spirit and the letter of Oslo.
        Why are you letting the PA get away with murder? Why aren't 
you doing more research into these issues and reporting the full story to 
the Philadelphia reading public?
        Please. Get rid of that double standard. Start exposing the
numerous PA violations to Oslo. And let the readers decide who is 
really holding up the works.

                                                Sincerely,

                                                Brian Joseph Hennessy

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