LIBERTY AND DEMOCRACY IN ISRAEL

YOUR "Opinion" column last week expresses itself diet turbed 14egarding Israel. Concerning your allegations that Israel does not grant equal rights to all its citizens, may I suggest you refer to the article by Douglas Brown which adjoins your editorial.
A tyranny
worse than apartheid
THE most vicious racial tyranny in the world today is the U.S.S.R., where there is in force an anti-Jewish policy far worse in degree and in kind than apartheid. This policy extends to the satellite countries, particularly Poland, and, I hardly need add, is what is behind the U.S.S.R.'s aid of the Arabs. This is its worst feature: abominable though apartheid is, at least the South African Government doesn't attempt to export it.
But let us stick to Africa. Why arc Kenya and the Sudan "distant pastures"? It can't be geographically, because they are in fact nearer to us than South Africa. And so is Zanzibar.
Does Mr. Brutus (July 10) mean that racialism must only he protested against when it's South African? Or does he mean that a million negroes massacred in, for example, the Sudan, is far less important than the fact of South African negroes not being allowed to play cricket alongside whites? Why is it that the victim's of racialism in Africa who suffer the most count not at all for Mr. Brutus?
As for the South African cricket tour, when I said that the majority supported it I was of course referring to the majority of ordinary decent people. The Council of Churches, the trade unions. and the other bodies which Mr. Brutus terms the majority are a small Communist-dominated minority.
John Braine Woking, Surrey.
ISUBMIT that the tone on which they were not conof Mr. lrutus' letter you stilted. and in the first Arabpublished (July 10) justifies the Israeli war of 1948 when the contentions advanced in my Arab'governments finally came original letter. if Mr. Brutus in.
Like Mr. Brutus, I want to see the end of apartheid, but I believe his activities are strengthening those who still believe in baascap in South Africa and are creating a serious backlash in this country. I feel convinced that Dr. Ali Bather's practical approach is of greater and more permanent value than are Mr. Brutus' and Mr. Hain's histrionics.
Patrick Wall, M.P. House of Commons.
Kum Bay Ya
CJ. E. Connor (July 17) chauvinism and insults orthoe asks the meaning of the dox Judaism, Christianity, and phrase 'Kum Bay Ya.' from Islam in its annexation of the the Negro spiritual of that Old City of Jerusalem in name. It is a 'pidgin-English' defiance of unanimous United corruption of 'Come by here.' Nations condemnation.
Jennifer Visick Pulborough, Sussex. There, Mr. Brown described Israel as "progressive, tolerant. un-colour-conscious, cultured, just and brave".
All who have visited Israel will agree that although a great amount still remains to be accomplished. much progress has been made in all fields of political endeavour.
Israel's 400,000 Arab
citizens do vote and do elect members to the Israeli Parliament. The Communist party is given full freedom in Israel, although it is banned in the surrounding Arab countries. Indeed, democracy as we know it, can be found in probably only one of the 14 Arab States. The fact that Israel, with all her problems. has achieved so much in the sphere of social justice is surely an encouraging sign.
The "up-rooting of Palestinian Arabs" to which you refer was a direct result of the Arab attack upon the emerging state of Israel. Surely it is unfair to trace the entire problem to Israel.
Your editorial makes no mention of Arab responsibility, including the fact that Egypt, for example refused to do any thing for the refugees in the Gaza Strip and. unlike Jordan, would not, grant them national status.
R. McGratty London, S.W.I9.
MONISM might have proved a splendid idea, though too racist for modern minds, had it not been for the passionate resistance of the Palestinians who are now joined. in sympathy. by many orthodox and liberal Jews and by some young people in Israel itself.
Resistance by the Palestinians to Zionist settlement and British rule (Arabs had, after all, been promised independence in return for their support against the Turks in the 191418 war was marked by violence in 1920, 1921, 1929. 1933. and by outright rebellion from 1936 to 1939; against Partition, difficult to share your idea that Israel has "rightfully regained her own territory in what has been an ambitious, moving and honourable achievement." Palestine has been colonised in tragedy. wretchedness, bloodshed and injustice as has Northern Ireland or parts of Black Africa.
Mr. Douglas Brown, whose devotion to Israel dulls his critical sense, has so few facts in his panegyric of July 17 that I must content myself with asking him how he can praise Israel's democracy when so many of its unwilling citizens are denied civil rights; its bravery, Misplaced in aggressive warfare on four fronts: its justice. faced with the Palestinians swept into the desert as exiles?
From this exile Palestinians offer a democratic State where all may share in citizenship regardless of tribe or religion: Israel offers only racist
Diana Richmond Durham City.