I WRITE regarding the article about the lecture on the Holocaust to pupils at Balcarras School (Echo, January 26).

The pupils were obviously moved by John Dobai's story and rightly so. The Holocaust was a terrible incident in modern history.

John said, and you quoted him, 'that racial discrimination of any kind is wrong'.

I have just returned from a visit to Bethlehem, which is why this letter is delayed. While I was there, I was aware of discrimination in every aspect of the lives of the inhabitants of Bethlehem and the West Bank.

It is tragic that the Israelis are inflicting such suffering on the indigenous population of the country that they were given as a homeland. Note, I say Israelis, as I don't believe that real Jews would agree with what happens over there, as the crimes against the Palestinians are all against God's laws in the 10 commandments.

Israel is an Apartheid State, and is practising ethnic cleansing in East Jerusalem, where people are literally thrown out of their homes and settlers move in, and destroy the house and build a new one, or live in it as it is. I attended a lecture in Jerusalem in 1989 when Bishop Desmond Tutu came there for a peace conference.

He said that apartheid in South Africa, was a picnic compared to what happens in the 'Holy Land'. The situation is 100 times worse now, believe me.

For this reason, I am prepared to talk to anyone about it, and would be very pleased to go to Balcarras, or any other school, to explain what it's like to live under this repressive regime in the land where Jesus was born.

I can be contacted via echo.letters@glosmedia.co.uk.

Joanne Moston, Cheltenham