Hamas grew from the opposition to the blatant corruption of Fatah & the Palestinian Authority. Hamas, in its original form was more interested in providing assistance to those who were disenfranchised by the PA, than in fighting Israel.

The Palestinian Authority on the other hand, grew from using Israel as a rallying point in order to garner support and more importantly aid dollars.

They hate each other, probably more than they hate Israel. The chances of them uniting are effectively nil.

The "funny" thing is that Hamas is rapidly falling into the trap that enmeshed the PA, reliance upon foreign aid, while keeping power solely through armed resistance to Israel.

It is funny how that AID corrupts isn't it?

I'm still yet to see, whether in Gaza or the West Bank, any attempt made to bring employment to the majority of the people, whether through industry or even farming. The aid just gets consumed, never invested.

Short-term thinking will never solve this issue.

#david f

You state:

"Amayreh remains a racist antisemite who wants the destruction of Israel. I want the transformation of Israel/Palestine to a full democratic state. It is not politically feasible at this time, but that is the most reasonable way I see to peace and justice."

1. When do you think it will be politically feasible?

2. What should happen until it occurs?

3. Do you hold the same views in wanting to transform Saudi Arabia, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Iran and Iraq into full democratic states?

Dear David S.

It will be politically feasible to have a single state with equal rights for when enough people are persuaded that it is in their interest.

Until then those of us who are for that goal will work for that goal.

I would like to see Saudi Arabia and other repressive states also be democracies with equal rights for every one.

There is one big difference between Israel and the other states you named. Israel has some of the attributes of democracy with a free press, an independent judiciary and a politically involved population so it doesn't have as far to go to become a full democracy.

#david f

Hamas and Amayreh certainly don't have your goals in mind. They want to replace the Jewish State with an Islamic State.

Jew haters like David G don't have your goals in mind. They want to rid the world of all Jews - including you. Getting rid of the Jewish State is a big step in that direction

You have embraced Hamas and Amayreh in wanting to see the end of the Jewish State - but not for their reasons.

David G has embraced you because your rejection of a Jewish state fits in with his evil intent.

Meantime you refuse to embrace Israel - and its people with whom you are most closely identified - until they decide whether they are prepared to embrace your views or not.

That is a real shame.

We will obviously get no further with this discussion. You have your opinion and I have mine. So shall it be.

Dear David,

Finally you have made it clear. You want me to be an ethnic nationalist and embrace Israel. I used to be a Zionist until I saw the contradictions between ethnic nationalism and democracy.

We Jews haved suffered for centuries because many parts of the world saw no place for Jews. Democracies like the United States and Australia accept Jews as full citizens as well as people of other ethnicities and religions.

In Israel Jews have constructed a state which is a Jewish state. A Jewish state logically has no place for non-Jews as full citizens similarly to the way other ethnic nationalist states had no place for Jews as full citizens.

I prefer to live in a country where all people of whatever nationality and religion have full citizenship. The US and Australia are such countries. Israel is not.

I support no foreign country that discriminates among its citizens whether that country is Israel or Saudi Arabia.

Dear David,

You wrote: "Jew haters like David G don't have your goals in mind. They want to rid the world of all Jews - including you. Getting rid of the Jewish State is a big step in that direction."

I disagree with the above statement. We Jews have survived for many centuries without a state. Now according to you and other a Jewish state has become necessary for our survival. I believe we have survived because we had a common heritage as a people and were not identified with any particular state.

Perhaps I can review a little Jewish history. Jews have been horribly oppressed in history but have survived unlike the pagan Norse and Gauls who were either Christianised or eliminated.

In the nineteenth century there were those who saw an end to Jewish oppression. Some saw it in Marxism which would end the oppression by uniting all peoples in a classless Utopia. That was false as what we saw of that Utopia meant the end of Jews as a people.

Herzl and others saw the solution as a Jewish state where Jews were free to be anything they liked. That has also turned out to be false as a Jewish state has become an ethnic nationalist state where Jews are the top dogs and discriminate both against Jews who don’t buy the establishment and non-Jews.

Some Jews migrated to countries such as Australia and the US which either started with or developed an ethos of pluralism which accepted all religion and ethnicities. Some Jews have absorbed that ethos of pluralism and freedom for all.

Judaism contains many lofty ideals such as regard for learning and striving for social justice. Albert Einstein, Moses Maimonides and others have exemplified these ideals. Jews who embrace these ideals are alienated from Israel because the ideals take second place to a narrow ethnic nationalism.

I think Israel is bad for the Jews. A dicey Jewish survival at the cost of what is finest in Judaism isn’t worth it