Just desserts

Far be it from me to comment on any of the historical Facts on Israel in Your Letters in the Nov. 1, 2000, edition. But when Cynthia Cross observes that "the settlers ... made the dessert (Indonesian: makanan pencuci mulut) bloom" so that "as the desert (Indonesian: gurun pasir) turned green ... resentment reared its head", one just cannot help chuckling. As a matter of fact, one might jump to the conclusion that these settlers "from many lands with many skills" have been trying to have their cake and eat it.

FRANK LANDSMAN

Bandung