Israel? Poverty? The US? The answer I actually got when visiting Kalandia School on the West Bank rather suprised me … and you can read about it in my latest column.
Lynne Featherstone
Israel? Poverty? The US? The answer I actually got when visiting Kalandia School on the West Bank rather suprised me … and you can read about it in my latest column.
Lynne Featherstone 
Lynne, one is gratified to hear you visited a Palestinian school, where you were offered the opportunity to meet with its pupils. However, this Government still has not bothered to recognise a democratically elected Government, called Hamas- a notable political Party within the Palestinian territories. Furthermore, the blame must go to Israel for illegally occupying Arab land, which belongs to its rightful owners, the Palestinian people. Ephraim Halevy, a former head of the Israeli intelligence service, who is reported to have urged that instead of regarding Hamas as a problem, we should now strive to make it part of the solution?The Israelis are to be blamed for the lack of inadequate services being provided to the Palestinian people and inadequate structure within its own Government, which Israel refuses to recognise. This is terrible. Therefore, I am pleased Arab countries do not recognise Israel, why should it be a one way process. Palestinians have to recognise Israel, however, Israel refuses to recognise Palestine…. how does that work? The Palestinian people deserve their land and country back, regardless whether you support it or not.
Lynne,Thanks for your neutrality in this fraught dispute. I wholeheartedly approve of efforts to improve the situation of Palestinian girls with regard to early marriage.You may be interested in Umdat al Salik m3.3 here, which states that under Islamic law it is an offence for a woman to marry if she does not feel the need to. However, m3.13 also has to be read.Mash,I don’t particularly want to start a big argument here, but nearly every point you make is incorrect, and I’m prepared to back that up if allowed. The Palestinian Authority is recognised by Israel on the basis of the Oslo Accords, which are its sole claim to legitimacy. Those accords require mutual recognition, an end to armed conflict, and negotiation of a two-state lasting settlement. Hamas in rejecting the Accords has in doing so delegitimised itself. They reject peaceful means, they reject any two-state solution, and their declared aim is not the formation of a Palestinian state but the destruction of Israel – which they will accomplish at any cost or destroy themselves trying.This confrontational approach between the supporters of Israel and Palestine does not help. I do not think there is any hope we can resolve the conflict, but there is still some good we can do if we help people and not sides.I don’t know if this comment will pass moderation – I understand Lynne’s views are rather different to mine – but I hope that we don’t see only one side of the debate passing here unchallenged. I would much prefer that the confrontational politics are kept out of it and we concentrate on helping the people on the ground, but if we’re going to debate the politics then that debate should be fair to both sides.