I’M all for freedom of speech even when as I see that it is clearly vile and anti-Semitic.

Malcolm Pittock, “Three arguments for leaving the EU” (18th June) As free as he is to express his opinions, he needs to realise that he is open to chastisement by those who don’t share his opinions.

I take issue with one of the reasons sighted in his letter, reason number three, “justice for the Palestinians”. Mr Pittock is either ignorant of the facts or is being purposefully misleading. He claims to be democratic and promotes peace, yet he supports Hamas claiming it was democratically elected in “free and fair elections”. So was Hitler Mr Pittock.

He states that Israel is laying siege to Gaza but fails to mention the unprovoked terrorist attacks this organisation repeatedly launches against innocent civilians in Israel and as such purposely placing Palestinian civilians in danger.

I think it’s time for a history lesson Mr Pittock. Between 1880 and 1967 virtually no Arab or Palestinian spokesman called for a Palestinian state. Instead they wanted the area that the Romans had designated Palestine to be merged with Syria and Jordan. The Camp David-Taba peace negotiations 2000 – 2001 Israeli Prime minister Ehud Barak shocked the world by offering the Palestinians virtually everything they had been demanding, including a state with its capital in Jerusalem, approximately 95% of the West Bank and all of the Gaza Strip. But the then leader of the Palestinians, Yasser Arafat refused the offer, preferring instead to condemn ‘his people’ to a life of poverty and violence, paving the way for groups such as Hamas

Israel adheres to a higher standard of human rights than any other nation in history faced with comparable challenges. It is the only country in modern history to have returned disputed territory captured in a defensive war and is the only truly democratic nation in the Middle East.

Stuart A Chapman.

Stacks Villas

Co Kerry

Ireland