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To the Editor:

In "Middle East conflict comes to campuses" (The Philadelphia Inquirer, Dec. 27, 2002), James O'Neill trivializes the importance of our University of Pennsylvania Oppose Divestment from Israel/Support Israel Petition. The article omits a key statistic: the total number of signatures collected by the anti-Israel divestment petition in nearly three months is 226, demonstrating that the efforts of campus extremists to demonize and delegitimize the State of Israel do not resonate at all with the American mainstream. Even Noam Chomsky, the single most important name on the petition, repudiated the divestment campaign as "a big mistake."

The more than 9,100 signatories on our opposition to divestment petition were garnered in eight weeks, a spectacular showing of support for Israel. These signatories include 20% of the Penn faculty, distinguished professors and scholars, as well as students, alumni, parents, staff, and community. The petition and comments about it can be read at < www.pennjustice.org >. Signatures will be accepted until the middle of January 2003, when we will formally present our petition to University of Pennsylvania president Judith Rodin and Senators Spector and Santorum.

Ronni Gordon Stillman, Ph.D. Mimi Stillman, Graduate student, University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia