Concerning the article, "Abbas accuses Israel of religious war," (Nov. 12). Before putting any stock in his opinion, remember the following facts:

From 1948 to 1967, in violation of the armistice agreement that suspended fighting during Israel's War of Independence, Jordan permitted no access for Jews to their Western Wall in the old city of Jerusalem.

Also, during this period, every synagogue in the Jewish Quarter was destroyed by Arabs. When Israel gained possession of the old city, in 1967, following an unprovoked attack on it by Jordan, the Muslim clergy was nevertheless allowed by Israel to keep control of the Dome of the Rock, the Al-Aqsa Mosque and related structures on the Temple Mount.

Muslims were not thrown out of the Arab quarter, nor were their holy places destroyed; as was done to the Jewish residents in 1948 and as Abbas would do now.

The other actions that expose Abbas' charge as bogus is the religious discrimination and terror shown to Christians by Arab countries in the Middle East.

The only nation in that part of the world where all religions are free to practice as they see fit is Israel.