A Letter of Mine in the Jerusalem Post

Erekat's gift with numbers...

Sir, - Palestinian Authority negotiator Saeb Erekat has been quoted as saying, "The last I know, Washington is 6,000 miles from Jerusalem, while Jericho is 67" ("Erekat: Settlement halt is insignificant," Online Edition, November 26). Actually, the distance between Jerusalem and Jericho, where Erekat lives, is approximately 17 miles, which is about 27.2 kilometers. But then, Erekat is always exaggerating, as with his figure of "500 massacred" in Jenin.

YISRAEL MEDAD
Shilo