PRIME Minister Berlusconi of Italy was pilloried because of some indiscreet remarks concerning Western culture and Islam.

Yet Israeli Premier Ariel Sharon, with his breathtaking arrogance, is a far greater cause of friction between the West and Islam.

In fact, Sharon himself has created a situation where the intifada will only end when justice is seen to be done and a sovereign independent Palestinian entity is created in the West Bank and Gaza.

D E MARGRETT,

Worcester.