Cockburn on Aid to Palestinians

It was ironic that Alexander Cockburn’s column attacking Israel for blocking the flow of money donated in the United States to Palestinians for humanitarian causes appeared on the same day (Column Left, March 4) when two Islamic fundamentalists were arrested for bombing the World Trade Center in New York.

Cockburn based his claim on the arrest of three former Palestinians living in the U.S. who were found distributing thousands of dollars in the West Bank and Gaza. These “tourists” gave money to Islamic fundamentalist groups responsible for killing hundreds of Israelis and Palestinians alike. These groups are against any peace settlement in the Middle East and they openly declare their goal of the obliteration of Israel. They as well have ties with the same extremist organization in Egypt that Sheik Omar Abdul Rahman and his followers in New Jersey have ties with. This organization was responsible for the assassination of President Anwar Sadat of Egypt in 1981, and for the recent attacks on Western tourists in Egypt.

On March 5 Kim Murphy, reporting from Cairo, quotes Egyptian and Saudi sources maintaining that extremist Islamic groups solicit funds in the U.S. and Europe under the pretense that they are used for building mosques and hospitals. However in reality, they are financing terrorist activities. It seems that Cockburn completely missed his target this time.

DAVID SHICHOR

Fullerton