Middle East Protest

Regarding Leo Wolinsky’s article on June 24 (“Trip Into Mideast Past Reveals Uneasy Present”), I would like to protest his obvious bias.

He would have us believe he had just suffered a combat experience in Israel instead of the mysterious barren emptiness of the Sinai Desert. His description of 20-year-old weapons lying in ruins reads more like a war correspondent’s report from the battle front, not a travel writer in one of the most beautiful and safest nations in the Western world.

Soldiers do not march up and down the streets of Israel, patrolling a war zone. Rather, Israeli soldiers on leave from active army service are required to carry their weapons and remain in uniform in case of an emergency call-up. Most tourists find this more comforting than disturbing. My wife and I, there recently on our honeymoon, felt no anxiety at all walking the streets of Israel after midnight, but wouldn’t think of doing so in our own neighborhood in Los Angeles.

In any case, if Mr. Wolinsky seeks real danger, may I suggest he travel to real war zones such as those in the Sudan, Iraq, Angola, Tibet or even certain sections of Los Angeles.

MARK SHMAGIN

Los Angeles