Dear editor:

According to June's findings by Mina Zemach, Israel's foremost pollster, 63% of Israelis are in favor of "unilateral withdrawal" from the occupied territories. In fact, 69% call for the evacuation of "all" or "most of" the settlements.

Mina's numbers are corroborated by other research institutions: The Peace Index of Tel-Aviv University's Tami Steinmetz Center found that 65% of Israelis "are prepared to evacuate the settlements under a unilateral separation program".

A poll commissioned by Peace Now a month earlier revealed that 59% of Israelis support immediate evacuation of most settlements, followed by a unilateral withdrawal of the army from the occupied territories."

I urge you to publish these facts. You should let the world know that both Israelis and Palestinians are ready to give up on the occupation -- they are sick of the endless bloodshed, the ongoing grief and pain. It is time for peace.

I urge you to stop pumping out government propaganda and start telling the truth: the people of Palestine and their Israeli brethren are tired of war. They want justice, they want brotherhood, they want peace.

Get busy. Do your job. Report reality.

Thank you.

R. Barrett
Raleigh, NC