In your editorial, How Israel Responds (Oct.28), you state: "If restaurant-goers in Montreal or Vancouver were the victims of politically motivated mass murder, Canadians 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 Mr. Sharon cares for the security of Israelis, he should terminate, unconditionally, the Israelis illegal occupation of Palestinian territory, which has been allowed to stand for 36 years in defiance of international law and repeated UN 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 charter of the United Nations entitles all people under foreign occupation, including even the Palestinian people, to resist such occupation?