Sir, Your report, (“Israeli sanctions ‘will ruin plans to rebuild Palestinian economy’ ”, Dec 17) refers to reports from Oxfam, the World Bank and the Red Cross to support the claim that Israeli restrictions on Gaza are the primary impediment to improving conditions. Yet the difference between the Oxfam press release and the details of the World Bank report are startling.

The World Bank stated that “any effort at economic recovery and development must address the impacts of the current closure regime and the aftermath of the illegal takeover of Gaza” by Hamas; and that Israel, the PA and donors are working to “shield the Strip’s 1.4 million people from the impacts of the current political stalemate”.

In contrast, Oxfam ignores the role of Hamas and calls on donors to “ensure that restrictions on aid are not being used as a weapon against Palestinian civilians”. Oxfam also accuses Israel of “wrecking” projects and claims that work on the Beit Lahia sewage lake has “stalled . . . putting thousands of Palestinians at risk”, but the World Bank is able to report just three days later that “as a result of coordination with Israel . . . the work is expected to be completed by March”.

For NGOs to play a full part in the debate, they must do their research and properly consider the context.

DR ANDRE OBOLER
Legacy Heritage Fellow, NGO Monitor, Jerusalem

Sir, Michael Gove (Dec 11) and recent letters (Dec 17) misrepresent the reasons for the exodus of Christians from Palestine.

In his recent book Palestine Peace not Apartheid, former US President Jimmy Carter recounts a meeting with Christian leaders in Jerusalem in 1990: “I was surprised to receive custodians of the Christian holy places plus cardinals, archbishops, patriarchs, and other leaders of the Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Armenian, Coptic, Ethiopian Orthodox, Maronite, Anglican, Lutheran, Baptist, and other faiths. They were distressed by what they considered to be increasing abuse . . . by the Israeli government.

“Yitzhak Shamir assured me that there was no official inclination to discriminate against Christians . . . the formation of a majority governing coalition required support of the smaller, deeply religious parties, and their primary demands were that they be excused from military service, receive special funding for benevolent causes, and have authority over all religious matters. He seemed to consider these matters out of his hands, and I understood for the first time why there was such a surprising exodus of Christians from the Holy Land.”

Would Mr Gove say that the processes described here have nothing to do with today’s accelerated exodus?

A. O. AITKEN
Nottingham

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