Dear Editor,

The United States' choice to go along with the United Nations' demand that Israel end its siege of Yasser Arafat's compound was a betrayal of Israel and of our own "war on terrorism."

Instead of calling on Israel to back down and let Arafat go, the United States should be calling on Israel to eliminate him.

Arafat is as much a terrorist as Osama bin Laden and deserves the same fate. It is extremely hypocritical of President Bush to hunt down terrorists half a world away and at the same time prevent Israel from capturing and prosecuting terrorists like Arafat in its own backyard.

Would President Bush have spared bin Laden and his top lieutenants if they were surrounded by American tanks?

Israel has as much right to self-defense as does America. It is time for the United States to recognize this right and give Israel the green light to fully exercise it.

Yaron Brook
Irivne, CA