On behalf of the newly formed West Wilts Palestine Support Group, (Justice for Palestine, Peace for Israel) I would like to thank all your readers in Melksham and Bradford on Avon who took leaflets or signed the petition on Monday asking Sainsburys to boycott produce from Israel.

Israel was born in 1948, following the UN General Assembly vote to divide the former Palestine into Israel (57 per cent ) and Palestine (43 per cent) Palestine is now reduced to 22 per cent and is broken up by 129 illegal Israeli Settlements – 480.000 settlers – and Israeli only roads.

The 4th Geneva Convention states that no occupying power should transfer its peoples into occupied land.

Since 1967 Israel has flouted the convention with impunity, confiscating Palestinian land and water to do so, supported alas, by many Western governments.

Netanyahu is now president, and has stated he will continue this policy and dismisses the two state solution originally envisaged, preferring ‘economic’ help for the Palestinians.

The World Bank has stated that the increase in Palestinians living below the poverty line, from 20 per cent in 1988 to a massive 64 per cent now, is without doubt due to the 600 plus movement restrictions and associated permit regime, imposed by the Israeli military on the Palestinians in the West Bank.

Boycott, sanctions and divestment finally ended the apartheid regime in South Africa. We can all make a difference now by refusing to buy Israeli oranges, avocados, dates and herbs etc from our local supermarkets and so give support to the Israeli Peace Activist groups which are working tirelessly to end the occupation (see www.bigcampaign.org) which has caused such suffering to Israelis as well as Palestinians.

Judith Hammond, Middle Rank, Bradford on Avon