In your editorial:{Held up to account" Feb 28}, you appear to be giving some excuses and justification for Sharon's act of highway robbery, with mafia-style execution, of the banks in Ramallah. You totally overlook the fact that Israel is in illegal occupation of Palestinian territories subjecting the Palestinians to robbery of their land, demolition of their homes, murder and daily humiliation, in violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention and thus tantamount to war crimes. This oppressive illegal occupation has been allowed to stand for 37 years, in defiance of international law and repeated Security Council resolutions.

It is time that our politicians and media should be calling on Israel to comply with international law and stop the prevarication about Israeli crimes and excusing those with stories of Arafat's corruption.