[23 Jun 03, N&O] John Paul Crane

 Saturday's editorial ("Mideast maze", June 21) could have been written by Ariel Sharon, for its distortions of the Mideast situation. Despite protests by the U.S. government, Sharon continues launching attacks to assassinate leaders of the Palestinian resistance movement, intentionally derailing Palestinian attempts to get Hamas to sign a cease fire agreement. 

Yet, the N&O declares that Sharon is "making good on his promise to follow the Bush administration's roadmap to peace," because he tore down a few trailers, mostly uninhabited, in a transparent -- to everyone but the N&O editors, it seems -- propaganda ploy.

 Your editorial portrays Israeli violence as retaliatory, and a Palestinian suicide bomber as a "deadly instrument of hatemongers", but you totally neglect the source of the Palestinian hate: Israel's demolition of their homes, destruction of their farms, theft of their land and water, and virtual imprisonment of the whole population.   

Any discussion of Palestinian/Israeli violence that does not mention Israel's brutal and illegal military occupation of Palestinian land distorts the issue.

 John Paul Crane