Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein writes in a letter that the group Sabeel is “belied by its stridently anti-Israel, anti-Jewish message” and has no interest in ensuring that justice for both Israelis and Palestinians comes about when the conflict ends (“Palestinian group questioned,” Oct. 7). Yet Eckstein fails to appreciate how great of a move it is for this group to organize a conference with the purpose of discussing “the active pursuit of justice and peace for Israelis and Palestinians.”

In the Chicago Tribune article, Terrorists keep the chaos going in Gaza, Victor Davis Hanson does nothing more than point fingers and demonize the Palestinian people. It is true that the Palestinian Authority has seriously lacked in making progress in peace and solidarity with Israel. But the Israeli government is far from “welcoming a democratic Palestinian state” as Hanson claims in his article. The mere removal of Jewish settlements in the occupied territory is not a grand step for peace on Israeli side when there is many innocent Palestinians that die daily at the hands of the Israeli government.

In the article, “Al-Qaida Set to Infiltrate Gaza: Israeli Security Chief,” it states the fear of Israel security chief, Yuval Diskin, in relation to al-Qaida finding their way into Israel. With no proof of such a thing occurring, it is hard to believe that this is truly a threat to the Israeli people.

Since Israel’s two chief rabbis have requested that the pope condemn the dismantling of the synagogues in the Gaza Strip in an effort to improve Christian-Jewish relations, there are a few things I am sure all Palestinians would also like to see the pope do (“Rabbis urge pope to condemn synagogue destruction,” Sept. 16).

The American Muslim Taskforce on Civil Rights and Elections (AMT), a national coalition of major American-Muslim organizations, today cautioned Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf to not allow his address to the American Jewish Congress be misconstrued as an endorsement of the state of Israel’s conduct towards occupied Palestinians.

The September 14 editorial titled “The UN and Sheriff Bolton” claims that the United Nations has been corrupt for years and that finally the United States is standing up to this world body and demanding reform. “Americans can be proud of their government’s long overdue assault on UN timidity, negligence and corruption” wrote the editorial board. Unfortunately there is absolutely no blame placed on the United States for the current obsoleteness of the United Nations.

The article about the Arab-Israeli orchestra is a welcome change to the usual coverage of the Middle East [''Barenboim seeks peace with his baton,'' Showcase story, Aug. 23].

Instead of letting emotional photographs and one-sided stories get the best of us, the facts on the Palestinian-Israeli issue should be reexamined. Everyone has seen the footage and heard the stories about the sadness and disparity of the Jewish settlers who were evicted from the Gaza Strip, but one must not forget the reasons for the removal of the settlers in the first place.

In the August 24, 2005 article, Pulling up Stakes Doesn’t Mean Israelis are Settling for Less, Gerald D. Skoning gave a rather weak and disturbing metaphor for the Israeli government’s eviction of Jewish settlers in the Gaza Strip.

The article about the Arab-Israeli orchestra is a welcome change to the usual coverage of the Middle East in the media (“Barenboim seeks peace with his baton,” Aug. 23)