I WAS pleased to read Hugh Pender's very balanced contribution (HAS, July 6) on the issues of terrorism and the Middle East.

He is absolutely correct to criticise the way that Western powers are sidelining Hamas.

The Palestinian people elected these fanatics by a huge majority in free and fair elections and therefore deserve to continue living in their chosen state of fear and poverty, with women treated like third class citizens.

Just because we prefer a different set of standards, we have no right to impose them on other countries.

However, we do have the entitlement to pick our friends by refusing to deal with Hamas in any way politically, deny entry to the UK by their citizens and to disallow British firms from doing business of any kind in Gaza.

The US and UK have constantly interfered in the internal affairs of other sovereign states and, by doing so, have invited a violent response.

Contrast this with the way the French do things these days after the bloodbath of Algeria. They learned - we haven't.

Similar treatment should be meted out to other regimes we disapprove of, such as those in Iran, Zimbabwe and Myanmar (Burma).

David Lacey, Durham.

HUGH Pender asks who is arming Israel (HAS, July 6). The answer is Israel itself. The country has a large, indigenous weapons industry of its own producing equipment such as Uzi machine guns and Kfir (lioncub) fighter/bombers. Understandable when surrounded by enemies.

Israel is not politically or militarily allied to the US, as Mr Pender often claims, but is allied to Turkey, a Muslim country, with whom it regularly co-operates on military manoeuvres and weapons development.

Regarding negotiation with Hamas, no one should have anything to do with this evil organisation. Remember, the Nazis were democratically elected and, like Hamas, removed all opposition to themselves. Imagine if our Government did that. Mr Pender would be one of the first to suffer.

The recent terrorism here has nothing to do with our foreign policy. If Mr Pender did his research he would find that Iran has been a victim of similar attacks in its south-west provinces along the Shatt-al-Arab waterway.

B Kidd, Stockton-on-Tees.