Dear NPR News,

Thank you for Linda Gradstein's report on Weekend Edition Saturday for November 24, 2001 about how Palestinians in the occupied West Bank are being prevented from gathering the olive harvest by violence, threats and restrictions from Jewish settlers and Israeli occupation forces.

Israel has done its best to interrupt, destroy or appropriate the Palestinians' relationship with the olive tree, which is central to the Palestinians' economy, diet, culture and care for their homeland. Over the last year, Israel has destroyed tens of thousands of olive trees, many of them centuries older than Israel itself.

Today on All Things Considered, Gradstein reported on the construction of new permanent housing for Jewish settlers near Hebron. The report dealt with the facts of the matter adequately except in respect to international law and the Mitchell report.

The introduction to the report said that the construction was to take place "in defiance of a US-sponsored peace plan." The report included Palestinian cabinet minister Nabil Shaath complaining that the new settlement construction violated the recommendations of the committee headed by former US Senator George Mitchell.

Gradstein said that "Israeli officials insist they are complying with the Mitchell report. Israeli spokesman Arieh Mekel says Israel is not establishing any new settlements. He says Israel only expands settlements for what he calls natural growth."

Peace Now spokesman Dede Remez pointed out in response that the Israeli government claim about 'natural growth' cannot be taken seriously since thousands of settler housing units already built are vacant.

But by presenting a debate about the need for 'natural growth,' Gradstein appears to be accepting the Israeli government premise that such construction would be legitimate and permitted by the Mitchell report if it could be demonstrated that it were needed by the settlers.

Gradstein should have referred to the text of the Mitchell report, which is quite unambiguous. If she had, she would have found that on the matter of 'natural growth' there is absolutely no room for Israeli spin and misinterpretation. The Mitchell report recommendations state:

"The GOI [Government of Israel] should freeze all settlement activity, including the "natural growth" of existing settlements."

(see http://usinfo.state.gov/regional/nea/mitchell.htm)

Could it be any clearer?

Beyond the Mitchell report, Gradstein should have pointed out that Israeli settlement activity is not wrong only because the United States now openly opposes it using language not heard since the days of President Carter, but because it is a fundamental violation of the Fourth Geneva Conventions which prohibit absolutely the transfer of civilian populations in to or out of occupied territory (Article 49). In October 2000, the UN Security Council reaffirmed that Israel, "the Occupying Power" must abide by the Geneva Conventions.

I find it pretty astonishing that the report did not even mention that the West Bank is occupied territory.

If it is important for NPR listeners to know when the world thinks Iraq is violating UN resolutions, it must be at least as important for them to know when Israel is, especially when it couldn't do it without US tax money.

Sincerely,