Fight media bias and help educate your community by writing letters to the editor.
You can use or customize these sample letters and send them to local press.

Dear Editor:
The press has created an illogical and unjustified equivalence between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. The media disregards the discrepancies that exist between Israel's largely transparent society and the Palestinians' repressive, despotic regime. While the Israeli press frequently challenges the legitimacy of Israeli government actions, the Palestinian press is not dissimilar to that of Syria or Iraq. Given recent documented Palestinian distortions of the events in Jenin and Bethlehem, why do the American media still insist on granting credibility to Palestinian spokespeople?  When journalists deal with totalitarian, closed regimes, they know that officially released information must be met with a certain level of skepticism. Why is Yasser Arafat's regime -- one that is internationally recognized as being dictatorial, corrupt, and collaborative in orchestrating terror -- not held to the same necessary level of skepticism?

Dear Editor,
A regional Middle East conference can re-establish regular lines of communication between Israel and Arab states, setting the stage for restoring the peace process. Like Madrid, the regional conference should facilitate bilateral and multi-lateral negotiations -- and not become an instrument for imposed solutions. The common ground for states attending a regional Middle East conference is a commitment to peace and a total rejection of terrorism.

Dear Editor,
Yasser Arafat is now "free" after the siege of his Ramallah compound was lifted. With Arafat's newfound popularity, he must take these overdue measures. He must detoxify his people from the anti-Israel, anti-Semitic venom spewed forth by the PA's radio, television, school curricula, and religious preachers. He must redirect resources from the major industry of arms smuggling and weapons manufacturing to the rehabilitation of the Palestinian economy. He must relocate Palestinian refugees from the cramped camps within the Palestinian Authority to new housing within the PA's areas of control. He must spend the hundreds of millions of dollars he received for the labor-intensive construction of housing. Finally, he must deploy his still-substantial police forces to stop terrorists, break up terrorist cells, and destroy bomb factories.

Dear Editor:
Israel has nothing to hide with regard to its battle against terrorists in the Jenin refugee camp, or the provision of humanitarian aid to the civilian population. During the battle, Israel suffered many casualties in order to avoid harming Palestinian civilians, choosing to move carefully from house to house rather than relying on airpower, as other armies would. Throughout the fighting, Israel provided as much aid as possible to the civilian population. Sadly, much of the aid was refused, offers to admit ambulances were rebuffed, and even Israeli blood donations were rejected. Although Israel did not choose this battle, it is proud of the way it fought. In Jenin, Israel defeated the terrorists, minimized harm to the innocent and defended the lives of its citizens.

Dear Editor:
It is abundantly clear that there is a lack of good faith on the part of the Palestinians regarding the accurate portrayal of the recent events in the Jenin refugee camp. Accusations of an alleged 'massacre' of hundreds of civilians have been propagated by official PA spokesmen, as well as charges regarding the alleged denial of vital humanitarian assistance. Furthermore, the material facts -- such as the number of Palestinian killed and the extent of structural damage to the area -- have been manipulated. It now appears (Apr. 30) that while around 50-60 armed terrorists were killed in the battle, 7 or 8 civilians were also killed -- a far cry from the hundreds that were claimed to have been massacred. In addition, there is absolutely no indication of starvation or any other humanitarian atrocities.

Dear Editor,
Those who called for an investigation of a so-called "massacre" that never took place would do well to ask themselves the following question: Where were they when a very real massacre of innocent civilians took place in Netanya? The facts that are borne out by the media indicate that many more innocent civilians were killed in Netanya than in Jenin. Moreover, these civilians were not used by armed terrorists as human shields, and were not caught in any crossfire. They were killed simply because they were Israelis, and this on one of the holiest days of the Jewish calendar.

Dear Editor,
The decision to accept the solution proposed by the U.S. regarding the wanted terrorists in Arafat's Ramallah headquarters was not an easy one. Nevertheless, Israel accepted the proposal, following the personal request of President Bush, a friend of Israel, and out of appreciation for the United States and the special Israel—U.S. relationship. Now, Arafat and the Palestinian Authority face a clear-cut decision: Is the Palestinian Authority ready to show the international community that it is willing to take the steps required by the agreements that it signed and which the world demands of it—or will the Palestinian Authority revert to the path of terrorism?  The Palestinian Authority must now show that it will take a clear, unequivocal and determined stand against terrorism, as well as firm action against the terrorist infrastructure.