This is in response to the guest column by William Slavick, printed Sept. 25. Mr. Slavick presented a one-sided, distorted view of Israel and the Palestinians.

In 1948, Arab leaders said they would defeat the Jews and told their people to leave their homes. They were told they could return in a few days once the Jews were defeated. Arab nations started five wars against Israel and were defeated in each.

Palestinians have been left in refugee camps by their fellow Arabs. It was the Arabs who chose not to live in peace with Israel. Other Arab nations could have absorbed their brethren during the past 63 years, but have chosen instead to leave them in refugee camps.

Slavik chose not to say that Israel has been under constant threat of attack by suicide bombers and rocket attacks aimed at civilian targets. No civilized people would allow their population to be attacked many times daily without fighting back.

When land was turned back to Palestinians, they chose to destroy synagogues and other property instead of using it to rebuild their lives. There were a number of large greenhouse businesses left for the Palestinians. Instead of using them, the Palestinians destroyed them.

Israel gave control of Gaza and part of the West Bank to the Palestinians, who chose to launch rocket attacks from those areas instead of living in peace.

Palestinian children are taught to hate Jews. They are taught that Israel should be destroyed and all Jews should be killed. They refused to recognize the right of Israel to exist, regardless of the borders.

If there is not even the recognition of the basic right to exist, how can there be honest and meaningful peace negotiations?

If Israel were to lay down its arms today, there would be no Israel tomorrow. If the Palestinians were to lay down their arms and stop the bombings, there would be peace in their own homeland tomorrow.

Slavick ignores that Hamas and others want to cleanse Israel of all Jews. He appears to refuse to acknowledge that the PLO was given 98 percent of what it asked and Yasser Arafat refused the offer. Nor does Slavick acknowledge that Israel stopped building settlements for 10 months and that during that time Palestinians refused to negotiate until the last few days.

Peace will come when Arabs care more for their children and their people than the death of the Jews.

Stan Tetenman, Poland