GEORGE Abendstern and Linda Clair's inaccurate and offensive reply (Nov 10) to A. P Tobias does nothing to further the cause of the Palestinians.

In their desire to belittle Mr Tobias and evoke sympathy for their cause they ignore historical facts and resort to hate-mongering comparisons. Their juxta-position of Nazism and Zionism is an unoriginal argument, promulgated only by the pro-Palestinian media commentators of the last 30 years in their Arab-funded public relations war, which has taken the place of military ineptitude. However foolish, Ariel Sharon's visit to the Harem al-Sharif mosque merely provided the Egyptian-born, Gaza-trained terrorist Yasser Arafat with the opportunity to revert to his true personality.

In 1970, Arafat told the Washington Post that his goal was the end of Israel, and there could be no compromise. He has returned to the ways of the international terrorist, sacrificing the young in an attempt to enlist public sympathy.

Mr Abendstern and Ms Clair are deluded if they believe that the Palestinians did not enter a self-imposed exile.

The Palestinians believed that the Arab League would "wage a war of extermination and a momentous massacre" as promised by secretary general Azzam Pasha. They failed to anticipate Israeli victories against overwhelming odds and expected to return to a land, to which they had no rightful claim, within weeks.

The truth is that the Arab nations have accepted their failure to destroy Israel by military means. They do not wish to provide a homeland for the Palestinian refugees. Only Israel is willing to do this. Arafat, and also Mr Abendstern and Ms Clair, must accept that Israel, in return, is entitled to security for its citizens and acceptance of its historical right to exist as a Jewish nation established in biblical times.

TREVOR STALLMAN