Now all Israel has to do is annex Yehuda and Shomron between now and March of next year, then repatriate the "palestinian" Arabs to Jordan, where they were given irrevocable citizenship over 50 years ago. Then the so-called "settlers" can be called what they are: "Israeli citizens". And their so-called outpost can be called what it is: an Israeli town.

Dear John, my comment was a consciously over the top talkback to the second post. The author of the second post did not like the judges' decision and clearly feels that they should vote more like he wants. In my opinion, that goes against the essence of democracy, which is that all opinions count, including those that you do not necessarily like. I hoped to make clear to him that his position was quite undemocratic by going along, even over the top, with his argument.

Dear nr. 7, have you ever even spoken with muslims? I live in a mixed neighbourhood in Leiden, with people from all backgrounds, including muslims. They are normal people, like you and me. Some work very hard, some are lazy. Some believe openly, some are doubting. Some are married, some are single. Some are hoping to go to college, some want to open a store. Some vote for the labour party, some conservative, some liberal. Some do volunteer work in the neighbourhood, some cheat on their taxes. But really, none of them is thinking about "taking over" Europe, ending democracy or whatever. Sure, there are some crackpots in their communities, but hey, there are crackpots in all communities. Think of Breivik in Norway, Timothy McVeigh or that Washington sniper. But the vast majority of people in this world, including the muslims, are quite normal and want the things that most of us want; a good life, a better life for our children, a quiet neighbourhood, a slimmer stomach and a bigger car. There are conflict areas where the mutual feeling are more complicated. Israel is one of them. But here too, most Israelis and most Palestinians want to go on with their lives. And rightly so. Let's hope that will remain possible.