THIS is with reference to the editorial `Last bastion` (Feb 13), which I found timely and thoughtful. Armed with latest weapons and machinery, the blood-thirsty forces of Israel are out for a systematic and planned ethnic cleansing of innocent Palestinians.

The mass killings of civilians in their apartments, schools, hospitals, tented shelters, and ceaseless bombing and shelling of every nook and corner of the besieged territories are grim pointers to thefact that the Zionistvandals, quite contrary to what they claim, are not against any particular group. It seems like all Palestinians happen to be the target. What all the Zionists want is further territorial expansion and mass expulsion of Palestinians not just from the Gaza Strip, but also from the West Bank to make way for Jewish settlements in these areas.

History bears witness to the bitter fact that Israel has been accomplishing its objectives of expansion and occupation of Palestinian lands and resources through force,repression,coercion andintrigues.

Shamefully, Israel`s actions have always been backed by Western democracies, especially the United States, and the criminal silence of the Muslim countries, especially of the Arab countries in the Middle East region.

Arab and Western governments have blindfolded themselves so that they may not see the Palestinians descendingto death and destruction. The innocent have been left alone to suffer all types of injustices, inaction and apathy.

Those with some conscience call for a ceasefire, but the US responds with vetoes at the United Nations Security Council, and then Israel responds to such appeals with even more vengeanceand even heavier aerial bombing of civilians.

Besides, Israel has a proven track record of flouting international law and violating human rights. During the early 1990s, James Baker, the then US secretary of state, paid four crucial diplomatic visits to Middle East on the issue of Jewish settlements. He noted that each of his four visits were greeted with an announcement of another settlement.

It appears that Israel has decided that it will silence its guns only when it accomplishes its nefarious target of killing all Palestinians in the entire Gaza. Should the world allow Israel to continue its atrocities? Certainly not.

We may not be in a position to save the unarmed, helpless and fear-stricken Palestinians from death and devastation, but we can surely support them by cutting all financial aid and moral support to Israel in an attempt to make the bully see the light of reason and logic.

This is the least we can and should do.

Qamer Soomro Shikarpur