Letters: Whoever wins control, Jerusalem belongs to the world

Sir: I could see no evidence in the European Union statement on the latest crisis of an implicit warning that "Israel's economic ties with Europe could be jeopardised by further breaches of the peace deal, particularly over Jerusalem" ("EU puts squeeze on Netanyahu", 2 October).

Europe might yearn for the good old days when Israel was a fledgling state, vulnerable to economic threat, but nowadays Europe's trade with Israel is booming, and very much in Europe's favour. Israel's current annual trade deficit with the EU is $8.5bn.

While the recent EU-Israel trade-association agreement may benefit Israel, it will give European companies access to Israel's hugely innovative science and hi-tech sector. Many people believe that Europe stands to gain far more from the association than does Israel.

HELEN DAVIS

Britain-Israel Public Affairs Centre

London EC1