To the Editors:

Israel hopes that routing Palestinian forces in Lebanon, mostly at the expense of Arab civilians, will signal the end of Palestinian nationalism [June 21]. Thoughtful Jews, reflecting upon their own often tragic history, surely must realize that humiliation and displacement only strengthen collective identity and the determination to express it.

Hani Ahmad San Francisco

When the dust clears and Israel retreats, one fact will remain: Israel can go home; so can the Syrians. The Lebanese can rebuild their country. But where can the Palestinians go? There will never be peace in the Middle East until the Palestinians are given self-determination in their own land.

Charles Abourezk Porcupine, S. Dak.

For every P.L.O. supporter wiped out in Lebanon, two are being created in the U.S. Israel has traded its future security for an immediate tenuous security.

Walt Kanvicki II York, Pa.

Menachem Begin is cynical if he believes raining death on the Lebanese will make Israel more secure. His use of force will only create more refugees, more hate and more cries for retribution.

Andrew Casterline Lemoore, Calif.

All the free world desperately wants he Jews to have a country. That is why we have for so long encouraged their nationalism. Unfortunately, they are now going beyond nationalism. They are paranoid, thinking they have no allies. If they continue in their aggressive drive, their paranoia will come full circle. Their worst fears will be realized.

Katherine Kiefer Jeneid Norden, Calif.

You fail to make a clear distinction between the P.L.O. and the Palestinians. For years, the P.L.O. has operated from heavily populated areas. Yasser Arafat knew that an Israeli counterattack would result in heavy civilian losses. The security of his terrorist organization was and still is more important to him than the safety of people he claims to be defending. Michael Maya Oak Ridge, Tenn.

Your headline should have read "The High Benefit [not 'Cost'] of Friendship" with Israel. Consider: we now have the defeat of two Soviet clients, Syria and the P.L.O.; a demonstration of weaknesses in Soviet military technology; the capture of huge weapons caches; and the possibility of a free, Western-oriented Lebanon.

Richard D. Wilkins Syracuse

The characterization of Yasser Arafat's policies as "relatively moderate" makes him sound like a middle-of-the-road American politician. He is moderate only in comparison with such immoderates as Gaddafi and Khomeini. On any other scale, Arafat, who has advocated the elimination of Israel, and who is probably the person most responsible for the proliferation of worldwide terrorism, would be recognized as the extremist that he is.

Sandor M. Gelman West Bloomfield, Mich.

Once again people must die because of the unsolved problems between Israelis and Palestinians. A majority of public opinion concedes that the Palestinians have a right to a homeland, but does it have to be the West Bank or even Israel? Does nobody remember that the kingdom of Jordan once was also a part of Britain's mandate of Palestine? The Palestinians should make peace with King Hussein and go back there.

DetlefSchoeneberg Nuremberg, West Germany

The U.N. call for a return to the status quo in Lebanon does not make sense. In the pre-invasion situation, there were several armed groups occupying Lebanon. They fought within their own ranks as well as with each other. The Israeli invasion was unquestionably an outrageous action, but the status quo, being even more outrageous, demanded no less. The real villain in this tragedy is the U.N. It did nothing to prevent Syrian or P.L.O. forces taking over Lebanon.

Jeffrey Pryzant Plastrik Houston

As a Lebanese driven out of my town, Damur, five years ago, I want to remind you that the Syrians and the Palestinians were the first invaders, not the Israelis.

Shaker Abou-Khalil Ann Arbor, Mich.

Nuclear Rally

TIME seems to regard the peace protesters who confront Reagan at home and abroad as leftists [June 21]. You should recognize once and for all that one can be a loyal American and believe in a strong defense and still not wish to see the world burned up.

Michael M. Rosenblatt Seattle

I deplore the antipathy demonstrated toward the U.S. by the left-wing parties of my country. The contribution of the U.S. to the struggle for freedom and human dignity in this century is immense and unforgettable. Without the American commitment, there would be no free countries in Europe.

Josephus J.M. Swinkels Veendam, The Netherlands

Those who demonstrated in New York were justified in challenging U.S. nuclear policy. However, when Mayor Koch expressed regret about the absence of similar rallies in the Soviet Union, he pinpointed the real threat to peace. By ignoring this, the demonstrators defeated their purpose.

John A. Heldt Kent, Wash.

TIME implied that Physicians for Social Responsibility was opposed to the nuclear-freeze rally. We did have some reservations about the initial objectives of the march, which had been a grab bag of diverse social and political causes. We felt that multilateral nuclear disarmament should be the rally's sole focus. However, when it became clear that more than half a million demonstrators from a broad cross section would be going to New York City with nuclear weapons their only concern, Physicians for Social Responsibility signed on as a cosponsor.

Thomas A. Halsted, Director Physicians for Social Responsibility Cambridge, Mass.

Fake Break

Your article "Playing Tax Shell Games" [June 21] misses an essential point about federal tax reductions. Continuing bracket creep and rising Social Security taxes will undo most, if not all, of the three-stage cut in the U.S. personal income tax. State and local tax hikes further offset the already small federal cut and may very well result in an overall rise in the real taxes on personal incomes.

Stephen A. Meyer, Senior Economist

Federal Reserve Board of Philadelphia Philadelphia

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