In your editorial, {"How Israel responds" Oct.28}, you list Israeli casualties but not a word about massive Palestinian casualties, including hundreds of children, and not a word about the oppressive brutal occupation to which the Palestinians are sunjected. You state: " If restaurant-goers in Montreal or Vancouver were the victims of politically motivated mass murder, Canaians would expect their leaders to do no less." If Canada was illegally occupying neighbouring U.S. territory, Canadians would be calling on their leaders to abide by international law and terminate their illegal occupation. You state that:" Ariel Sharon should take decisive steps to defend Israelis." If Ariel Sharon cares for the security of Israelis, he should terminate unconditionally the Israeli illegal occupation of Palestinian territory, that has been allowed to stand for 36 years in defiance of international law and repeated Security Council resolutions.

You state:" The right of self- defence is inherent and absolute." However, in your logic, this right is evidently not applicable to the Palestinian people. Are you aware that the UN Charter entitles all peoples, including even the Palestinian people, under foreign occupation to resist such occupation?