For such a high-tech state, so advanced, could they not have used non-lethal weaponry? Stun guns, tear gas, bean bag guns, and so on. New reports suggest the people on the boat only defended themselves with wooden staves.

And what permits them to do such things to vessels in international waters, in the name of a state? If they were so concerned about weapons being on boards the vessels, why not send their navy there, and tow the vessels back to Ashdod, get the people off, and then check the cargo? Would that not have been a more intelligent way of dealing with this than boarding suspected vessels and shooting protesters?

Israel has enemies I’m sure, but it just seems to me that the past decade they are getting more and more desperate and violent, but with no similar or matching enemy aggression. So the Palestinians send a rocket or two over, then the Israelis flatten towns and any large buildings, hardly a measured or equal response.

Even the US is beginning to lose patience, and although the UN is toothless and useless, even it is starting to act in whatever limited way it can. In the entire sixty years or so this low-level war has been going on, is no-one yet sick and tired of it? Can no-one step forward and finally come up with a workable and lasting peace for the region?

They were formed after WW2 to look after all of us. Everyone on the planet. The big five, US, Russia, UK, France, China, all were supposed to act in our favour whether we came from Ghana, Uruguay, or the Dominican Republic.

But today the US abstained from the vote re: Gaza Truce. It doesn’t stop it of course, since they abstained rather than vetoed. But does anyone remember a time when the US acted in the Palestinian’s favour? Have they, ever?

I suppose it’s just coincidental that the US supplies weapons to Israel?

It does seem very one-sided, rather like, say, the Nazis attacking Holland. One or two rockets thrown over from Gaza doesn’t balance the books in terms of military threat, or of people killed (4 Israelis killed, 385 Palestinians as of Dec. 31st). And, no signs of any halt yet.

What is it with the Americans? Why do they think that they can create a Palestinian state?

How many times has it been tried so far? How many times will this effort fail dismally?

Or should I really state what the aim is here, to give President Bush some kudos before he leaves office to make it look like he really has some credit in diplomatic terms (because let’s be honest – up until this point he has had piss poor results with anything ‘diplomatic’).

As happy and as smiling as the Palestinian and the Israeli leaders were, I imagine they were both thinking of the destruction of the others’ state.