Speak Out

							8/18/97

Letters to the Editor
The Washington Post
1150 15th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20071

Dear Sirs,

        I would like to respond to the fallacious argument Mr. Le 
Roi Elliot put forth in his letter denouncing Israel.
        In trying to excuse Mr. Arafat's failure to curb Arab 
violence in Israel, Mr. Elliot likened suicide bombings to the problem of crime 
in our big cities, and the inability of our mayors to prevent that crime. 
But to compare random street crime with organized terrorism is ludicrous!
        If a certain faction in any of our big cities began strapping 
on explosives and blowing up mid-town shoppers you can bet the mayor of 
that city would unleash every means of law enforcement at his or her 
disposal to shut it down fast. Including State and Federal assistance. Witness 
the timely intervention of New York Mayor Jiuliani's police in just such 
an incident last week. And the FBI's immediate involvement afterwards. 
But even if one accepts Mr Elliot's bizarre analogy, a good mayor CAN 
make a difference in crime as evidenced again by the dramatic drop in crime 
in New York City in the recent years.
        The problem with Mr. Arafat is not that he can't reduce 
terrorism. It's that he isn't trying to! Indeed he seems to have actually 
encouraged it in his brutal attempt to establish a Palestinian dictatorship! - 
as the previous letter in your paper by a Mr. Mannison so clearly detailed!
        No Mr. Elliot, the responsibility for "the murders in 
Jerusalem" can be laid squarely at the feet of Mr. Arafat. And no matter how 
much you dislike Israel, you can not wash the blood off Mr. Arafat's hands.

                                                Sincerely,


                                                Brian Hennessy

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