SIR - I feel Phil Boase's view that the trouble' is caused by the Arabs' refusal to accept Israel's right to exist (T&A, July 15) is untrue.

The Palestinian government, along with the Israeli government, attempted to broker peace through the Oslo Accords, which were built on the principles for Israel to withdraw from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, including East Jerusalem and the recognition of an independent Palestinian state in those territories, signed by both in September 1993.

The point is if Israel wants peace, why does it continue to build settlements on illegally confiscated land in the West Bank and East Jerusalem?

Israel spends $500 million on these illegal settlements. It also provides low living costs and financial incentives to attract Jewish people and change the demographics on the ground.

Israel continues to use discriminatory policies such as water allocation against the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, an example, being in the West Bank, Jewish settlers (390,000) use 80 per cent of the water and the remaining 20 per cent is for the two million Palestinians.

Don't these examples show Israel is refusing to accept Palestine's right to exist?

Saqib Ali Mirza, Leylands Lane, Heaton