To the Editor : Re '' Mr. Sharon 's Giant Step '' -LRB- editorial , Feb. 24 -RRB- : Is n't it interesting that Ariel Sharon , the prime minister of Israel , a Jewish state , disproportionately and unfairly vilified by Arab states and others , is giving the Palestinians a chance , as you put it , '' to show the world that they can govern themselves , '' something their supposedly concerned Arab brethren never afforded them ?