There is no reason at all why the Palestinians should not be their own masters - surely better than being under israeli occupation, treated as terrorists, imprisoned in their own land; Israel is known to destroy people's crops, take the land for their own expansion, and yet wonders why the Palestinian people get angry. Not very difficult to work out, and remember that Israel was created through fighting, some might term a bit of terrorism on their part.

Why not David, and I hope it passes with a deafening majority,but the you and your mates in the whatever offshoot of the Propaganda dept of the Israeli govt you work for will keep lying.
Give it up mate your BS and lies are getting stale,but then I assume you need the money

Excellent sensible article as usual David.
Please don't let the brainwashed and brainless idiots stop you-they sound like Al Quaeda rejects.

As usual mr singer you spout your propaganda and pseudo legal speak all the while ignoring the humanity of the Palestinian people. Its like they are cattle or mindless beasts not human beings.

Who are you to tell them what they can and cant be? If they identify themselves as palestinians who are you to tell them they are wrong? Would you accept it?

I think your holy books are fairy stories and therefore can have no bearing on your religions claims for land. How is your fairy tale of "gods chosen people" any different to the statements from the arabs that you mentioned? Why should we recognise Israel when by your own reasoning I can state much the same about the jews?

If Statements from the PLO are insufficient to get the residents of these benighted places sovereignty then why should we countenance allowing jewish sovereignty on nothing more than the inconsistent, illogical and deceitful old books written THOUSANDS of years ago?

As you people say "facts on the ground" and when the vast majority of the world recognises Palestine the "facts on the ground' will have radically changed. About time too.

Dear David Singer,

You have indeed used the word Palestinians in this article, although begrudgingly at best. Therefore I will, perhaps not quite as begrudgingly, respond to your piece.

However I will have to wait until I get home to deliver a more fulsome approach and it appears we may have to rehash why so much of you position on this is at the best distasteful.

But to the rub.

What you seem to be saying is a group of disparate peoples mainly of Jewish-European ancestry, have a right to form themselves into a group, plunk themselves in the Middle-east, claim statehood and call themselves Israelis while a group, many of whom can trace their ancestry and attachment to the land back many generations should not be allowed to declare statehood in the small portion of the land remaining available to them called Palestine?

Can you not see how any fair minded person (and thankfully we do have a fair number in this country) would see this as a travesty?

What do you take us for?

Good article, David:

Since neither the Palestinians nor the UN ask for David Singer's permission or recognition; and since a Palestinian state will eventuate regardless, the net result of this article is to promote independence for Tibet. Hurray!

In general, the more groups of people can live on their own terms rather than be subjected to the brutal and insensitive laws of multi-million-people conglomerates, the happier our world becomes.

Every group of people that so wishes, be it old or new, should be entitled to self determination - self determination is wonderful!