DOMINIC KING (The Irish Post, July 3) forgot to mention that Britain occupied Palestine when Israel decided to resettle in the land of their ancestors and, as they did in Ireland, they hung hundreds of Jews and Palestinians every week. Every country in the Middle East invaded Israel to stop them settling there, but the Israeli army beat them back over every border. Britain did not exterminate the Irish but there are other ways of reducing a population, such as starvation. They exported Irish food products to the Empire’s armies while nearly 2million men, women and children lay dead or dying in ditches. Deprivation of work or education kills as well, or driving thousands of Irish farmers on to barren land, slaughter by Cromwell, hangings or shootings, dying on coffin ships to America. There were 12million people in Ireland when Britain took over, when they left there were only 5million. Jewish children were regularly blown-up on school buses. In spite of this, Israel employed thousands of Palestinians. Hamas fired nearly 1,000 rockets into Israel. They believed their God owns the world and we are trespassers, they want to drag the civilised world into the dark ages. The coalition forces will make sure they don’t. J Hampton Longford Coventry
Celebrating 125 years of the GAA, Railway Cup Ruislip 2009.