I must comment on a letter of April 4. Craig Turton writes in support of the permissive society, which he seems to think can have nothing to do with the social breakdown we see all around us.

He also seems to believe that large and vital components of "multi-cultural" Britain (i.e. Hindus and Muslims) somehow approve of this permissiveness.

Such a view is clearly nonsense. I should also have thought the main criticism of the Church of England is that it is too accepting of the general social quagmire society is now in.

Secondly, the letters from the University of Sussex Students Union and R G Cranmore (April 4), concerning the Israeli-Palestinian problems seem to suggest the entire, awful situation is the result of Israeli action, conveniently forgetting that just three years ago, Arafat turned down an offer from Israel that gave the Palestinians about 90-95 per cent of what they had asked for.

Are these correspondents saying Israel cannot take action to defend its population from indiscriminate terrorist attack?

Lastly, the plight of the Sussex University students is entirely of their own making. The Foreign Office has warned Britons on no account to travel to the West Bank and, anyway, it is foolhardy in the extreme to get involved in other people's quarrels which are none of their business.

It is interesting to note that virtually all the Britons caught up in the fighting are members of Left-wing groups that are notoriously anti-semitic.

-A J Jackson, High Down Drive, Littlehampton