In the April issue of Vanity Fair (VF.com),there is a story about how George Bush and Condy Rice plotted to undermine Hamas,by giving money and arms to Fatah's Mahmoud Dahlan,so he can arrange some sort of a coup d'etat against Hamas,the democratically elected represenative of the Palestinian people, and this was the impetus behind the Hamas- Fatah clashes in Gaza in mid 2007.
Hamas is right to mistrust Abbas,the Israelies,the Americans,and the Quartet who made it very clear that Hamas will be excluded from any scenario that will lead to the creation of a Palestinian state.
Hamas wants its voice heard,and to be included in the talks that will lead to formation of such a state.
As long as Hamas is excluded,it will continue to make noise,by the only means it knows i.e.launching Kassams from Gaza,into southern Israel.The only way to stop those rockets, is to talk to Hamas,simply because it is the 800 pounds ghorilla in the room, that can not be ignored.

Sam, Dallas, USA

The peace process will be the death knell of the Israeli people. Thanks to President Carter for instilling the foolish idea that giving land to the so called Palestinian people will quell their anger and hatred. That was the biggest blunder in modern day history. I give it 3 years,then it will be curtains for the tribe of Judah in that land.

Charlie, Miami, FL, USA

To below, maybe DON'T read the bible...or the koran....or any other nonsense that says divine right dictates division of land.

A religious power struggle is something humanity should have left behind with the dark ages...

Brad Rinker, Chicago, IL

There will be no really effective, ,scene-changing response
from the Olmert government, since they are the puppets of Condi, Bush, the EU, the UN. These latter are, in turn, the puppets of Saudi and Emirate OIL, lavish Investments and commercial contracts on a scale that is incomprehensible to the average human. This said, Olmert will continue on the "war of attrition" course--a war that Israel has been losing and will continue to lose, because it is fought on the enemy's terms. Being in EU/Bush/Saudi pockets, Olmert cannot do the only thing that will save his country and his people--use the full power of his military, to launch the final war--a total war on all
the terrorist forces in the immediate region, killing as many of its fighters as possible--probably in the tens of thousands
in a period of 3-6 days. This is the war--the war on Israel's terms, that the puppet has been prohibited from waging.
The only out is a velvet coup d'etat by the iDF, with Olmert
as a facade PM.

Mike Cato, Vestal, USA NEW YORK

The horse is prepared for battle but safety is of the LORD from Proverbs -Holy Bible

Lili S.Cheney, hamilton, mi

I don't see how long we can expect Israel to keep up negotiations for peace. I think Israel has done it all it can and more in the face of continued prevarication on the part of the Arab/Muslim world. I think it is important for the West and all Jews & Christians to stand by Israel absolutely and 100%. In fact I think that if prevarication continues then Israel should be allowed to take officially the Golan Heights, Sinai & all of Jerusalem & divest itself of responsibilities for West Bank/Gaza.

Placation did not work with Hitler & the Nazis and won't work with the Palestinians.

I am English (non religious).

Kevin Smith, Great Waldingfield, England

How was peace achieved in northern ireland ? can the same be done in Israel/Palestine ?

Steve, Philadelphia, PA, USA

what would the Middle East be without oil?
let's end our addiction to fossil fuels and find out

Budge, Niagara , Canada

Time is running out for Israel. The vast transfer of wealth to the middle east and Russia from the west will accelerate as oil production declines. This will allow a transfer of sophisticated weapons to Iran and its allies and the US will be bankrupt from it's foolish war in Iraq and powerless to intervene I give Israel another 20 years tops.

edward Giton, villas , nj

There will never be "peace" in the Middle East...read the Bible.

That being said I have to comment on John Brown's post from NYC. If Israel did practice Aparteid the deaths of the Israeli students could not have happened, but Israel does not. Arabs move freely in Israel. There are almost as many Arabs in Israel as Jews, but I don't expect John would know this, or care. Unlike the Palastinians, and Arabs in general, the Jews do not believe in killing everyone that does not agree with them.

Paul Tully, atlanta, GA

if every morning you wake up to rockets being fired into your back garden day in day out from GAza tell me how long can you stand it without finally flipping and retaliating.. if someone hits you every day in the same place tell me when will you finally flip out and hit back? xanthe London/Israel

xanthe, Hadera, Israel

Ray nailed it.But I'll take it a little further.
I am Roman Catholic.Radical Islam has a deep rooted belief in the elimination of all "infidels"...period.Me included.They are systematically training their children to be martyrs .These children will do the same for generations into the future.What other religion (if you will) does this to it's children??
Israel is just the easily targeted mid east "neighbor". Negotiations with these folks has never been about peace. It is about posturing and manipulation to further both overtly and covertly the elimination of ALL "infidels".As a side note: Just wait until Iran actually becomes nuclear...events then will indeed move very very quickly internationally.It won't matter who is in the US or Israeli leadership.The media will not be discussing additional troop deployments.Can you say: "zero tolerance"?

Ken, Jamestown, USA/PA

The association of rabbis for the people and land of Israel headed by extremist rabbi Dov Lior issued on Wednesday a religious ruling legitimizing the shelling of Palestinian civilian gatherings by IOF troops at the pretext of responding to the rocket attacks carried out by the Palestinians.

According to this ruling, the Torah permits the shelling and bombing of Palestinian rocket sources even if there are civilians living there and considers that the Israeli army must sometimes respond to the source of fire immediately without giving any advance warning to the Palestinian civilians.

This ruling also says that if the Palestinian civilians are concerned about their lives, they should stop the Palestinian resistance from firing rockets on Israeli settlements.

john, london, uk

John Brown,

Your claim that Israel is an apartheid state is absurd. Israel is 20% Muslim, and Arab businesses have numerous times been the target of Hamas suicide bombings. Palestine on the other hand is 0% Jewish.

Hamas launches missiles from heavily populated civilian areas because they know that as long as they make sure that Palestinian children die, they will have reckless sympathy from people such as yourself. You are doing no one a favor by siding with these terrorists - particularly not Palestinian children.

Emil Elkhoury, San Jose, CA

For Elena Alvarado Oviedo, Geneva, Switzerland

(Too bad in the USA you can only see one side of the coin.) When anything in the world is wrong criticize the USA. According to the PEW Research there are 2.4 million Muslims in the United States. How many are there in the Muslimphobic society of Switzerland. Get your house in order before venturing in to the wonderful pastime of American bashing.
Check out this link for informing material on Switzerland's relationship with the Muslims.
http://www.swissinfo.org/eng/specials/religion_in_switzerland/Some_religions_are_more_welcome_than_others.html?siteSect=22081&sid=8120545&cKey=1190011459000&

TEP, Norfolk, VA, USA

I condem all violence equally must must make the following point.

The so-called negotiations supposedly underway between the Palestinians and Israel are endorsed by President Bush on the basis that Israel can keep anything they have taken by armed force and intend to keep, though this is in obvious violation of international law and vitiates any real possibility of a viable settlement.

A viable settlement with the Palestinians, who are not Philistines by the way, is the onjly ticket for Israel to ever gain security, peace, and regional acceptance. Just why this is not obvious to all the Israel supporters is not clear to me.

tarquinis, Seattle, USA

Shadenfreude and the desire for Revenge

"Schadenfreude" is pleasure derived from the misfortunes of others. "Revenge" is a retaliation for injuries.

Is an Arab expression of Schadenfreude over the death of eight Jewish children murdered in a Jewish Theological Seminary, as expressed by their dancing in the streets of Gaza, the moral equivalent of expressing a desire for revenge? Some Jews were heard to be chanting Death to the Arabs at the site of the murders.

I don't think they are morally equivalent any more than inadvertently killing civilians while attacking rocket launching sites is morally equivalent to murdering children in a religious school.

Wallace, Alexandria, VA, US

Ladies and Gentlemen, can we please separate a man walking onto a college campus with a machine gun from a nation responding to rocket attacks against her citizens?

Certainly there is a difference. Americans, Russians, Europeans...name one from those groups that would tolerate rockets being fired into their population centers (or back woods for that matter). Name one that would tolerate a foreign citizen opening fire on a college campus.

The rules are not different simply because we are talking about the Middle East.

Kevin Wolf, Springfield, Vermont

For Elena,

The Israelis have tried time and again to make peace with the Palestinians. There is nothing they would like more than to have the Palestinians make peace and leave them alone.

The problem is the blind obsession of Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas with having Islam dominate the region and the world.

Patrick Henry, Bristol,

What are the Israelis supposed to do just let them keep sending rockets into Israel? Maybe they should act just like the did in Poland?

Bill Wilkinson, webster, NY

It will not end until the end of man. This has been going on since the beginning of time. Just pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

Steven, TN, USA

Israel has given concessions (Gaza) what have the Palestinians given in return, Peace? No, they have given them Hamas and Rockets, and these terrorists hide among the civillians and pretty much use them as shields to make Israel look bad to the world when the Civillians die as a result of an Israeli response. Wake up People, how can you help anyone that cannot even come close to helping themselves, the Palestinians have chosen their path with Hamas, not peace.

Shane, Indiana, U.S.

What... no front page headlines for the 25+ children that Apartheid Israel murdered this week in occupied Palestine?

There's a shocker.

John Brown, NYC,

They were detained for questioning and then released, as is done routinely in your country and mine.

Cherice, Santa Rosa, Ca, USA

Hatred begets hatred, and killing begets killing.
This madness must end. This killing must be condemd as the killing done by Israel must be condemd.
No justifications are acceptable.
European and ofcourse American governments were very fast in rightly condeming this killing, but why were they slow in condeming Israeli killings?

Mohamed, Muscat, Oman

For Ray Kastenbaum, of Forest Hills
It should be same for the Israelis - Rice should not support anymore the Israelis unless they stop their Arab hatred, stealing their lands and until they eliminate their racist attitudes. The Settlers call for the destruction and deportation of the Palestinians and this should be repudiated. Too bad in the USA you can only see one side of the coin.

Elena Alvarado Oviedo, Geneva, Switzerland

Violence begets more violence. I don't see anything changing anytime soon.
Holy land is a bloody land! argh.

HSM, Piis, PA, USA

Israelis kill Palestinians. Palestinians kill Israelis. Round and round it goes, sure as the sunrise.

Tom, Los Angeles,

How can you arrest the family or punish them for the crimes of an individual member? Unbelievable.

Phil, Hong Kong,

Political negotiations with Palestinians are non-starters.
I love Condi Rice but she's wasting her time. I would not
offer to negotiate with them one farthing before they eliminate
the Jew hatred from their textbooks, government publications,
broadcast radio and TV programs and especially textbooks. The Hamas and PLO Covenant calling for destruction of "the Zionist entity" must first be deleted and repudiated before any talks are planned with their leaders.

Ray Kestenbaum, Forest Hills, NY, USA