Letters: Hatred in the Middle East

Deep historic roots of hatred in the Middle East

Sir: Ruth Tenne wrote (letter, 14 June): "As an Israeli born and bred I was brought up to believe that the Palestinians/Arabs are our sworn enemies."

I wonder where her tutors got that idea. I must have dreamt that the Syrians taught their children that the Jews would kill them as soon as look at them, long before Israel as such existed. And I must have imagined the unspeakable cartoons which vilify Jews in the Arab press. Also the fact that senior clerics have for years proclaimed loudly that Jews are vermin and must be eliminated. Most of all, that the Arab world would never, never, never acknowledge Israel.

I, too, am an Israeli, but considerably older at 83. I mention my age because I remember vividly how it was in the beginning, when I lived between two Palestinian families in great amity.

An aunt and uncle lived on Mount Carmel, and befriended an Arab family with four sons, who lived near the Syrian border, helping with their education and so on. One day someone came over from Syria and asked if this family was friendly with some Jews. They said yes, and were told if they continued this friendship something dire would happen to them. Needless to say, they didn't offer to help those boys with their education. My relatives did, but in secret.

That was in 1923.

RACHEL BIRD

ABINGDON, OXFORDSHIRE

Sir: Of course that wasn't an Israeli shell on Gaza beach. It was a publicity stunt by a family of Palestinian terrorists engaged in asymmetric warfare. When will Europe understand that Israel does not have a partner for peace?

MAGGIE FOYER

LONDON SW15

How social mobility was destroyed

Sir: The increasing dominance of private schools may be a "stranglehold" but it is not "extraordinary" (front page, 15 June). It is a direct consequence of government policy.

What exactly do you mean by private? To take one example, I suspect that the fellowship of Oxford colleges would come in as being dominated by pupils from private schools. But many of these schools were not private when the individuals attended them. Oxford is - and has been for many decades - controlled and dominated by the products of grammar schools, many of which went independent when the Government took against them.

The grammar school was the main route out for children of ability from poor backgrounds; government policy closed this option off in the interest of social equality, but bungled it so badly that it managed instead to achieve the exact opposite. The sort of education grammar schools used to provide is now primarily available to those whose parents can pay, and our society is, as a result, less open, less mobile and less fair. The only surprise in your article is that people are surprised.

IAIN PEARS

OXFORD

Sir: In your leading article you acknowledge the major role that grammar schools used to perform in promoting social mobility. Grammar schools gave able children from low- and middle-income families the opportunity to enjoy an education as good as that available from the best and most expensive private schools.

However you go on to dismiss calls for the reintroduction of grammar schools as being politically unrealistic. But if something is desirable, it is worth fighting for. Once upon a time it was politically unrealistic to, for example, rein back the excessive power of the trade unions; and yet we eventually managed to achieve this. All that is needed is sufficient willpower to overcome the ideologically-driven hatred of academic excellence (sneeringly dismissed as "elitism") that is endemic in the political and educational establishments.

There is a very strong case for arguing that the decline in social mobility over the last 25 years or so is at least as much due to the destruction of the grammar school system as it is to Thatcherite economic policies. We owe it to our children to undo this wrong.

DAOUD FAKHRI

LONDON E17

Sir: The school ties article did not mention the far more damaging and growing culture of unpaid work experience, which most people simply cannot afford to do. As a consequence, when paid jobs do come up, young people from poorer backgrounds rarely get a look in: the vast majority of positions go to those who can afford to get their foot in the door by doing work experience first.

Employers may think they are getting a good deal by using a workforce of young people who are willing to volunteer. In fact they are denying themselves access to some of the best candidates who don't happen to be able to call in favours from family friends with convenient London flats.

JESSICA BRAND

LONDON N5

Bicycle revolution on streets of London

Sir: I'm delighted that The Independent has highlighted the progress that has been made in London in encouraging more people to take to their bicycles.

For the first time cycling in the capital is getting the attention and investment it deserves: the introduction of the congestion charge, more bus lanes and an increase in road space for cyclists have reaped big rewards for one of the busiest and most congested cities in Europe.

There's also a positive story to tell on public transport in the capital. Contrary to the figures used in your article of 7 June, customer satisfaction rates on London's Tube and bus networks are actually at 78 per cent.

London is the only city in Europe that is achieving a real "modal shift"- people are moving out of their cars to public transport, cycling and walking. Focused public policy, intelligent use of investment and a concerted effort to inform the public have made a real difference.

PETER BROWN

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER, STREETS TRANSPORT FOR LONDON

Sir: Amid the sound and fury generated in the current debate over the behaviour of the various categories of road users one important factor has not yet been mentioned: that is the reluctance of the majority of cyclists to carry some sort of warning instrument.

I notice in the edition of Extra devoted to cycling (12 June) that while (as one has come to expect from The Independent) there is plenty of advice on what the fashion-conscious cyclist is required to wear, only the bicycle ridden by Audrey Hepburn is clearly seen to carry a bell. Needless to say, bells are not included among the "Ten Best Accessories". In fact, bells or hooters rarely seem to feature at all in catalogues of cycling gear.

This constitutes a real problem for pedestrians on shared routes where cyclists often approach from behind silently and at high speed. If cyclists expect their sanctimonious whinings about the behaviour of car drivers to be treated sympathetically they should show less contempt for the unwheeled users of rights of way.

REG SHEPPARD

NANSTALLON, CORNWALL

Sir: During the correspondence and reports concerning bicycling no one has mentioned the fact that when a cyclist hits a pedestrian on the pavement it will be by the handlebar end. This will mean that the cyclist, will descend immediately to the ground, usually not the pedestrian, and the faster that he or she is going the greater the hurt. The only real danger is a head-on clash, which is very rare.

I am an experienced cyclist of 82 years (cycling for 69 of them). I don't approve of cycling on pavements nor "bouncing" traffic lights, though occasionally I do so myself.

MARTIN MOTTRAM

SALISBURY

Sir: As long as cyclists give way at red lights, is there actually any harm done by going through them? Cyclists at red lights are more like pedestrians than cars, and we don't mind pedestrians crossing rather than waiting for the little green man.

In London it adds 5 per cent to my journey times if I stop at red lights: at least two working days a year simply squandered, surely an unconscionable waste of time.

HUGO ROBINS

LONDON NW1

Japan and the vote on whaling

Sir: Referring to the article "Japan buys votes to take control of whaling body" (14 June), I wish to emphasise that the allegation that Japan buys developing countries' votes in return for the aid it provides is totally inaccurate.

The Japanese Government provides Official Development Assistance (ODA) to developing countries throughout the world irrespective of whether a country is "pro-whaling" or "anti-whaling". Many anti-whaling countries such as Argentina, Brazil and India are recipients of our ODA.

Moreover, at the IWC meeting in 2004, commissioners of member states including the UK unanimously agreed that the document accusing Japan of buying developing countries' votes, which had been distributed to the IWC by an NGO, was unfounded, and that they would consider taking measures to prevent any similar occurrence in the future.

KENJI HIRAMATSU

MINISTER AND CONSUL GENERAL EMBASSY OF JAPAN, LONDON W1

Act now to limit climate change

Sir: By all means let us prepare our defences against our changing climate as Anthony Day suggests (letter, 14 June), but not at the expense of doing all we can to minimise the degree of change.

There is a growing body of scientific opinion - not yet a consensus, but well beyond a lunatic fringe - which predicts that, unless we act fast, various positive feedback mechanisms, such as the release of methane from the Siberian permafrost, will kick in and ensure a global temperature rise of 5 or 6 degrees, maybe more. Once that process starts there will be nothing we can do to stop or reverse it.

There was a 6-degree rise in global temperature 250 million years ago, and 90 per cent of species then existing were wiped out. A repeat would ensure, at the least, hundreds of millions of human deaths and probably lead to the breakdown of civilisation - and there is no guarantee that we wouldn't be part of the 90 per cent.

It may not be about to happen, but even a tiny risk that it might should send all our governments rushing to cut greenhouse emissions any way they can. Extra flood defences just won't cut the mustard.

BILL LINTON

ENFIELD GREEN PARTY LONDON N13

Sir: Bjorn Lomborg is given far more space than his ideas deserve (letters, 13 June). Tackling the problems of poverty, water, pollution and so on without addressing climate change is like using the lifeboats on the Titanic to repair the deckchairs.

There is plenty of money available to deal with all our problems. Unfortunately, we choose to spend it on toys for the boys. World "defence" spending for this year is likely to exceed $1 trillion. Now if 10 per cent of that was spent on something useful ....

NOVA BROCKBANK

NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE

Sexist attack on 'fat, slobbish men'

Sir: In her column of 15 June, Joan Smith says of Chris Moyles: "In Moyles's case you don't have to be a genius to work out that a fat, slobbish, deeply unattractive man is acting out his sexual disgust by verbally abusing women."

I would definitely consider myself a feminist. Isn't attacking Moyles on the basis of his appearance similar to those who used to attack feminists like Andrea Dworkin on the basis that they hated men because they were too fat and ugly to get one? A man doesn't have to be ugly to be a misogynist and most men's attitudes towards women are based on factors which are nothing do with their looks.

Reverse sexism isn't the same as feminism - maybe Ms Smith should bear this in mind.

LINDA CALVERT

SALE, CHESHIRE

No ovation for Blair

Sir: I don't know whether "Blair deserves his standing ovation" (letter, 15 June) from the GMB is an accurate assessment of his speech, but a better government than Attlee's? There have been many good aspects of Blair's premiership, but while one founded the NHS, the other is hell-bent on privatising it piecemeal. The post-war problems faced by Attlee dwarf anything Blair inherited in 1997. Worst of all is Blair's uncritical endorsement of the brutally selfish policies of the US, which have brushed aside international law. No ovation, standing or otherwise, merited there.

EDDIE DOUGALL

BURY ST EDMUNDS, SUFFOLK

Sir: How we laughed in the 1980s at the folly of the Soviet troops' "occupation" of Afghanistan.

RICHARD FINCH

HESKET NEWMARKET, CUMBRIA

Dinosaur metabolism

Sir: In his article on the spider that crawled with dinosaurs (15 June) Steve Connor writes: "It must have lived at the time of the dinosaurs - long before the rise of the warm-blooded mammals." The implication is that dinosaurs were cold-blooded. Surely that is a very outdated view.

TINA ROWE

ILCHESTER, SOMERSET

Solar power on the roof

Sir: Thomas Sutcliffe suggests that the planning system could be more "encouraging" to people who want to put solar panels on their roofs (13 June). I could not agree more, and we are carrying out a review of planning permission rules to find out how we can make it easier for people to do their bit to help the environment. In particular, we want to reduce planning restrictions on small-scale microgeneration equipment for people's homes and will be publishing proposals this year.

YVETTE COOPER MP

MINISTER FOR HOUSING AND PLANNING, DEPARTMENT FOR COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT, LONDON SW1

Grand titles

Sir: P D James' full title by no means holds the record for length (letter, 14 June): Lord Jauncey of Tullichettle, of Comrie in the District of Perth and Kinross and Lord Sainsbury of Preston Candover, of Preston Candover in the County of Hampshire are only two of many worthy competitors who spring to mind.

VALERIE PASSMORE

EDITOR DOD'S PARLIAMENTARY COMPANION, LONDON SE1

Hollywood's war

Sir: No American aircraft around in the Blitz (letter, 15 June)? Next they'll be telling us Hollywood got it wrong and the Americans didn't break the Enigma code by capturing a U-boat before the USA entered the war.

JOHN PELLING

KEDINGTON, SUFFOLK