Madam, - With reference to the letter from Niall Ginty (September 15th) concerning the Ictu call for an Israel boycott, it never fails to amaze me that so many people see red at the mere mention of civil and humanitarian rights for Palestinians in the illegally occupied territories.
I recognise that Israel has every right to exist and to defend her territories. I condemn suicide bombings and the indiscriminate firing of rockets into Israel.
However, I also condemn the indiscriminate use of force by the IDF. When children throw stones at Israeli soldiers, they respond with live rounds. When the Palestinians respond with live rounds and rockets, the IDF respond with tanks and jet fighters. When targeting known Palestinian terrorists, the IDF do not care how many innocent lives are lost. This to me is as evil as a suicide bomber targeting soft targets.
Finally, any nation that illegally occupies another, building a "security wall" through its territory and attempting to starve the population into submission is simply not a true democracy. - Yours, etc,
MICHAEL MULHERN,
Eagle Valley,
Enniskerry,
Co Wicklow.