Inshallah to Hamas, there will be no 2 state solution. 5 million Jews surrounded on 3 sides by 400 million Arabs, Hamas sees clearly the only inevitable end result, an Arab dominated Palestine, from the river Jordan to the Mediterranean. This is how it has been for centuries, when the money from the west dries up, this is how it will all end.

In 200 years there will be no Israel and people will be wondering what all the fuss and bloodshed was about.

akram, London,

hamas was voted in by the people of palestine. i believe after years of corruption and misrule ,they wanted the change for the better.i assume when the people voted for hamas they knew the kind of society that would develop once hamas started to rule.maybe it is diffcult for the western media to understand life without beer,western music and unislamic t shirts,.why trivialise the whole struggle to there materialistic views.

im not a muslim .i dont agree with thier ideology but i believe there is a huge lack of understanding about ,middle eastern societies.people reading your column might think that life was wonderful under fatah ,with a few people who have stolen money and living lavish lives ,whereas the rest of the population continues to struggle everyday,giving their lives to what they beileve is right.

manoj, ramala, palestine

I always chuckle when anyone refers to the, "Middle East peace process". There is no peace and there will not be. The worst is yet to come and will be coming for a long, long time.

Bruce Northwood, Washington, D.C., USA

In my view you only have to look at a map and be aware of the population figures to see what the root cause of this whole unpleasantness is: not enough space.

What the Palestinians need to do now is reclaim huge areas of land from the sea, as the Venetians and the Dutch did centuries ago, to free up some space. Come to that, why not negotiate a purchase of a sizeable chunk of Egypt adjacent to Gaza (and not heavily populated) - remember the Louisiana purchase? - there are precedents - I'm sure the US and the EU would stump up the price.

Then they can have mini-referendums on who wants to live with compulsory beards and headscarves, and who needs a stiff gin and tonic come sun-up and divide themselves around accordingly . PROBLEM SOLVED !!!!!

RIV

Riviere, Oxford, UK

If all of this is correct, then it would seem to afford ample reason to disarm Iran -- the pricipal funder, supplier, and 'moral' supporter -- in full. Break Iran and break the back of this lunatic movement in an instant. Is not everyone aghast at the thought of these 'virtue police' running about ensuring all wear beards or headscarves, not drink alcohol, & cet.?

Maynard, Oxford, UK

So,

Knowing all this, why does the EU consort with and support Hamas, knowing that they want to commit genocide in Israel, export terrorism to Europe and install an Islamic world order under Sharia law?

Are you folks that suicidal, or just very dense?

G S, alexandria, USA

Anir,
A correction to your analysis. The old British mandate of Palestine included (Trans)Jordan whcih was ripped away by Churchill in 1922 and given to the Emir Abdullah. Abdullah initially wanted to call his kingdom "The Hashemite Kingdom of Palestine" but was blocked by the British. Israel (pre-1967)actually constiutes about only 10% of Palestine.

Dr. Simon Barak, Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Israel

"But they're culpable too, as they always have been."

It's funny. When inocents are killed in Israel by missiles it's murder. When innocents are killed in the Palestinian territories they are getting what they deserve.

It strikes me that there are some pretty unhumane supporters of Israel as there are of Palestine.

The word empathy should be explained to many of the sofa fighters of this conflict.

Pedro, Odivelas, Portugal

We cozy up to Pakistan which is ruled post-coup d'etat so why not Hamasstan?

Tariq, ashford,

Of course the 'Left' has been quick to jump on the let's blame Israel bandwagon, ignoring the facts. Hamas would have used any money, currently held by Israel, in its efforts to eliminate the Jewish State and the political suicide of an Israeli government assisting in its own destruction. Until we recognise that falling into the trap, so beloved of Arab and Islamic regimes and their supporters, of blaming anyone and everyone but themselves, for their constant failures and ineptitude, we will never solve any problems in the Middle East.

Jonathan Klineberg, Truro,

I think that things may not be as bad as you think for Israel and the West. The scenes of extreme violence that have been broadcast in the past days have finally exploded the claims that Palestinians are peaceful people suffering under the Israeli heel. The clarity with which Islamic divisions have emerged and the treachery of the Hamas attack - after multiple cease-fires to which Hamas voluntarily agreed - have removed the pretexts that have been so useful to anti-semitic elements in the western press.

Israel is now faced with a situation which superficially presents more physical danger, but its position is immeasurably strengthened by the discrediting of western pro-Palestinian advocates. In the past they were able to present Palestinian attacks on Israel under a guise of anti-colonialism, but now they will be forced to deal with the fact that future attacks will come from an openly terrorist organization Palestine has finally had its Night of the Long Knives.

jon livesey, Sunnyvale, CA/US

Amir,

The problems go on and on, don't they? It was a smart move by Ariel Sharon to have Israel withdraw unilaterally from Gaza. Now it's clear to the world how the Palestinians run things, left to themselves.

From before 1948, the Palestinians have been the pawns of evil forces in surrounding countries. But they're culpable too, as they always have been.

I think Israel is likely to leave Gaza and the West Bank pretty much to themselves, responding only when Israel is attacked. So things will go on much as they are.

With Hamas in control in Gaza, possibly there'll be some disaffected Fatah people in Gaza willing to collaborate secretly with Israel against Hamas.

Kookaburra, Blackwood SA, Australia

The three-state solution

S.W. Massil, London,