Letter: Reactions to the massacre of Palestinians at Hebron

Sir: Following the massacre in Hebron on Friday, Palestinians are rightly impatient with the slow progress being made by all parties in the peace process. It has become clear that their security is now as important an issue as that of the Israelis.

We must work for the political and human rights that Israel has achieved and that the Palestinians lack. The daily indignities they have to endure were amply demonstrated when families felt unable to trust the authorities with taking care of the bodies of their loved ones.

The just solution for Palestinians is the State of Palestine. This is unlikely to occur in the near future but there are arrangements which can and must be made immediately to prevent further attacks by extremist Jewish settlers.

Paving the way for a speedy solution to the entire conflict will be to the benefit of all communities in the Middle East, therefore it would also be worthwhile to start discussions now on the thorny issues which are currently excluded from the peace process: refugees, Jerusalem and the final status of Palestinians.

I hope that my fellow Jews will commiserate with their Palestinian cousins, express their solidarity with them and so hasten the end of their denial of basic human rights.

Yours faithfully,

VIVIEN LICHTENSTEIN

Co-editor, Jewish Arab Dialogue in Europe

London, NW3