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Dear Stan, The wise and the learned, the judicious and the scholarly, have preached and advocated tolerance.

Civilisation after civilisation tried and tested the art of being tolerant for it was, and is, an art. Tolerance of different social groups is absolutely essential for maintaining peace in the world. Otherwise, the world would be reduced to barbarism.

It has been gone a long time and not likely to return any time soon. What has been gone a long time? Why! Tolerance: it has been away from Israel for a long period and definitely does not seem to be in a hurry to return to these shores.

In fact, the only people exercising tolerance right now are the poor Palestinians, but they don't have much of a choice. Sympathising with the Palestinians and seeing them bombed out of home, hearth and this planet, I sincerely hope tolerance returns to the Middle East as well as our fair lands, as its presence is acutely needed to put this country back on track, as tolerance is the glue that keeps a society civilised and in harmony.

Tolerance will return, especially if we start preaching and practising it in earnest in our schools and seminaries. A CBC documentary on the Israel/Palestine conflict recently chilled me to the bone when it showed clips of a day in school in Israel and Palestine where children were being taught the curriculum of hate against each other.

My heart bleeds for Palestine, whenever I see the moving scenes of its innocent and unarmed citizens wailing over the death of their dear ones caused by Israeli atrocities.

We are all made of frailty and error and it is kind indeed to reciprocally pardon each other's folly.

LONG LIVE PALESTINE - LONG LIVE THE BRAVE PALESTINIANS.

Kashif Asghar

Gujranwala, Pakistan.