MOVIES - Jan. 29, 1988

Film maker Woody Allen, claiming that he is “not a political activist,” took a stand against Israel’s recent treatment of Palestinians in an op-ed piece published Thursday in the New York Times. Writing that he had “no sympathy for the way the Arabs have treated the Israelis,” Allen went on to say he was “appalled beyond measure by the treatment of the rioting Palestinians by the Jews.” Allen, who is Jewish, concluded the letter by urging others who support Israel’s existence but disagree with its current military tactics in dealing with the Palestinians to speak out.