To declare that the root cause of the violence in Gaza is the occupation of the West Bank (Letters, March 5) simply contradicts the long history of Arab violence against Jews which predates the occupation and even the establishment of the State of Israel. Sadly, violence against Israel is being driven forward by such an unbridled hatred that it has distorted the desire for peace.

As for Gaza, a disproportionate response in the shape of restraint by Israel over a lengthy period did not lessen the daily bombardment aimed at the residents of Sderot and Ashkelon, and restraint having proved ineffective, an eventual military response by Israel was inevitable. Hamas was not unaware of the consequences of launching rocket attacks, supported by the knowledge that the usual condemnation of Israel would inevitably follow retaliation. It always does.

Having exercised laudable restraint, Israel's reward was an escalation from more powerful and more accurate grad rockets which supplanted the kassams.

As for peace talks called for in the letter, that is precisely what the mayor of Sderot offered Hamas last week, to which its official website responded: "Sderot will continue to be a legitimate target for the jihad warriors of the Al-Kassam Brigades."

To ignore this does a great injustice to Israel's peace initiative.

Having declared war against Israel, Hamas has no compunction about hiding behind a civilian population. If proof were needed, only this morning we heard of a child killed by a ricocheting bullet. Hamas apparently has little regard for the citizens of Gaza.

In pursuing a campaign of terror, a golden opportunity has been lost. Rather than peaceful reconstruction, Hamas has dedicated itself to futile, self-defeating aggression aimed at Israel and its Fatah rivals. About 4000 rockets have disrupted the lives of the citizens of Sderot and more recently Ashkelon, maiming and killing Israeli citizens.

There is, of course, one immediate solution to the death-toll in Gaza and Sderot: A cessation of the rocket attacks against Israel. It's that simple.

Myer Green, Newton Mearns.


Scottish Jews for a Just Peace (Israel must halt attacks, March 5) are clearly within the tradition of permitted dissent which is a virtue of Israeli as of British society. It is less clear why they hope to speak for any significant part of Scottish Jewry.

They write of "the reported 64% of Israelis who believe their government should enter into ceasefire talks with Hamas". The poll sample was 500 (conducted by Tel Aviv University). But there was a similar poll of Israelis conducted by BBC Radio 4's Today showing that 86% backed Israeli attacks on Palestinian targets, most describing their support as "strong".

Your correspondent conceals the reasons for Israel's incursions into Gaza and other actions. Palestinian suicide bombers and Gazan rocketeers also bear heavy responsibility for the situation. That is one glaring omission, but there are inaccuracies. Gazans have never been denied all foodstuffs and medical supplies - 159 trucks of supplies and 21 fuel tankers passed into Gaza on Tuesday, March 4 alone (Israel Government sources). Israelis are puzzled how, with constant pleas of near destitution, Hamas can manufacture or pay for rockets to be fired in their hundreds at citizens of Sderot and Ashkelon.

Talk of a "disproportionate response" by Israel smacks of moral relativism, where deliberate Palestinian attacks on civilian targets are equated with targeted strikes on the rocket launchers and their controllers.

The Scottish Jews for Justice too readily echo the arguments of pro-Palestinian pressure groups. They point out the existence of sister organisations in Israel which campaign for talks with Hamas; these are legitimate and free to express criticism of their government. Can the Scottish Jews for Justice point to their equivalents in Gaza, pressing for cessation of rockets and talks with a recognised Israel?

Philip I Clare, Newton Mearns.


The letter from Scottish Jews for a Just Peace should be welcomed by all who deplore the killing in that land. But surely a just peace must emanate from the original demand by the UN that the borders of a Palestinian state are defined by the pre-1967 war borders. The 52 UN resolutions since 1955 condemning Israeli action against Palestine and neighbouring peoples have gone unheeded by Israel and her supporters.

For those in Hamas, retaliating against such action, including encroachment upon Palestinian territory, there can be no peaceful solution until there is agreement on the pre-1967 borders.

MM Henderson, Balfron.