It is sad that you think that support for the existence of Israel needs to be predicated on the denial of the other. It weakens not strengthens the argument. Even if 'Palestinian' national consciousness was a post 1964 invention it doesn't make any the less real for the 'Palestinians'. Sure, you can use all sorts of means to try to eliminate it. But, as with the Jewish citizens of Israel where attempts to label them merely as descendents of Poles, Germans, Morrocans, etc. is rightly rejected, to label 'Palestinians' as foreigners is similarly illegitimate. Indeed, as I understand it, recent DNA evidence would suggest that 'Palestinians' are very closely related to the Jewish population as a whole and that therefore we all have a claim to this land. We have to find another way of working this out.

I don't care if they grew this 'national consciousness' that no other Arab group has ever done. It is immaterial. What they can't do is have it on our land. That's right - it's ours and ours alone according to international law. I'll tell you what - since the UK still has the most colonies in the world - you can give them your some of your lands. They have as much claim to London as they do Hebron so let's move them there. It is already a majority Muslim city. The Arabs have 99.93% of the Middle East - we are keeping our 0.07% and don't care if you like it or not.

It is not easy to reason with someone espousing the politics of the school yard but I'll try. First, I am opposed to British and all other kinds of imperialism. Second, London (population 8 million) - a majority Muslim city? Less that 2 million in the entire UK (population 60 million). Your last point: what do mean by 'our land'? A land belonging to an exclusive, ethno-religious group? Like Saudi Arabia? Bravo! If you can't beat them, join them!

#33. Since the dawn of time, the rule has been that the victor in a defensive war keeps the land they liberated. Everyone of Israel's wars has been defensive. Israel never sought to conquer any other nation. Whereas, our enemies sought to conquer and destroy Israel. Thus Israel was wrong and foolish to cede Sinai, Gaza and all the other lands we gave up. Israel would be far stronger and richer had we kept all our liberated lands. Had we kept Sinai, for instance, Iran's Mad Mullahs could not speak of Israel as a "one bomb state". If Israel is forced to fight any more defensive wars, we must keep all our liberated lands forever.

Good to see Peter SM write in the Israeli press rather than the captive audience in Al jazeera, his old stamping ground. We will see how his views unfold......