The people who live in the past don't make the future

Morris, UK

Peace is about concession

Benjy, Oxford, UK

The fact is that Barak offered every concession he realistically could. Now, this may not have been quite all that Arafat wanted. However, peace is about concession and Arafat must have realised that Barak's offer was the best they have ever received. In addition, it was always clear that the Israeli offer would not be anywhere nearly so generous following the election. This seems to suggest that Arafat did not actually want to sign a peace accord.
Benjy, Oxford, UK

The Israelis tried to achieve peace by giving: Barak had given the Palestinians more then anyone else before him and in response he got riots. That's because he showed himself weak and Arafat grabbed on to that in split second. Well, Israel has tried to approach the problem from the left (i.e. by giving) and fail utterly, they'll now try to approach it from the right. Good luck! My personal belief, is that, no peace will be achieved as long as Arafat is in charge.
Ilya Elyashkevich, Los Angeles, US

Another example of the total detachment from reality by Michael, Jerusalem, Israel - saying the Palestinians should stop the violence. A few questions to put to people who refuse to look reality in the face: Who has a trained army shooting at Palestinians? Who has used rockets, missiles and helicopters against the Palestinians? Who is continually and systematically destroying (bulldozing) Palestinians homes and olive trees?
James Ashby, London, England

Ariel Sharon is not interested in peace, in fact his agenda is to derail the peace process and start another war with its Arab neighbours, that is the only way Israel can expand its current territory. By starting another war Israel would again gain sympathy from the West who has becoming frustrated with Israel's human rights and undignified arrogance to accept peace with the Palestinians. Yasser Arafat is in fact a puppet of Israel that is the reason he is being jerked around. It is time Palestinian elect a moral leader who is sincere in resolving the issue rather then pretending to be important. As far as peace in the Middle East for now it is dead and a very difficult time is ahead because no matter what Palestinian agree to Sharon will not accept.
Gul Khan, USA

Your comments since the programme

There can be no right of return for the Palestinians to Israel and there can be no negotiations as long as violence continues

John Megiddo, South Africa

The so-called occupation is a fallacy. Both groups if anything, have equal rights to the land. What the Palestinians demand is the annihilation of Israel - something that cannot be given. Had the Palestinians desired their own state they could have had it - with some compromises being made. There can be no right of return for the Palestinians to Israel and there can be no negotiations as long as violence continues.
John Megiddo, South Africa

Throwing stone at Israelis army will not bring peace whatsoever, and will not offer places like Gaza and others cities being offered by Israel former PM. I believe continuing violence against Israel, under Mr. Sharon will result in a big crisis in the region.
John Mac Acuek, Australia

I'd like to point out to Dennis Taylor that Israel did not steal Arab land with force. The Arab countries surrounding Israel have declared war on Israel a number of times (5 or 6) and Israel has won all these wars taking land in the process.
Dan, London, UK

Each time that I hear experts, politicians and commentators thrash around the Arab/Israeli conflict I am struck by the naivety of the discussion. Fear has given the state of Israel its raison d'etre and aggressive arrogance its style of diplomacy. The Palestinians have been caught between the disinterest of the Arab world at large, the powerful American pro-Israeli lobby and the hypocracy of the Western world. Both the Israelis and Palestinians are engaged in a tribal deadlock which has been smeared over with the sophistication of the modern world. To resolve this deadlock they have both need to recognise whilst their mutual detestation and suspicion may give them identity it is not, and never will permit them to rise above brutality and death.
Tony Harding, UK

What happened to the Jews in Europe was a separate subject. But had the Allies used more foresight, the Israeli/Palestinian clash could perhaps have at least been side-stepped

Stephen Pohlmann UK/Tel Aviv

I have never been a Sharon supporter. I am leftist, with the usual swings to the right. But Sharon was the first to remind me of the status of Jordan. Recently, a BBC reporter from Amman happened to mention in passing that over 50% of the Jordanian population is Palestinian. As far as I know, it is over 60%. This is not something to 'pass over'. I know of no other nation in the world which has a majority of its population holding on to a different nationality. And unlike, say the Irish Americans, they do not consider assimilation; they remain fervently Palestinian.
It is easy to say that the Palestinians have many countries where they are considered 'brothers', (although they are not treated very brotherly by them), but to say they do not have a homeland is wrong. And who is responsible? Who should make more effort to right the wrongs? The British and the French, who rewarded their allies against the Turks by establishing Jordan and Iraq, without any real consideration for the indigenous population.
What happened to the Jews in Europe was a separate subject. But had the Allies used more foresight, the Israeli/Palestinian clash could perhaps have at least been side-stepped.
Stephen Pohlmann UK/Tel Aviv

We are only blaming people on both sides who are at fault. I want to agree with Ramesh from Australia & Betty from Israel:
In 1948 Israel was given a certain area of land, but gradually and with force stole more land from the Arabs. The cause of this violence (and any) is religion. History shows that the Jews left the area thousands of years ago, yet they came back. This to me is Discrimination with a capital "D".
Dennis Taylor, Australia

Peace between Israel and the Palestinian's is very much dependent a whole new ethos in the Arab world

Derek, Beit Shemesh

Peace between Israel and the Palestinian's is very much dependent a whole new ethos in the Arab world. Not until the Arab world begins to foster democratic governments where tolerance will emerge, will the masses learn to express themselves less emotionally and more intellectually in a rational framework. Until then Arabs will continue to home in on the so-called injustice of Israel to focus the attention away from their own countries tragic internal failures away onto Israel.
Derek, Beit Shemesh

Calling Israel a democracy is a joke. How can a country claim to be a democracy when a large part of its populace has been forced out on gun-point, not allowed to return home and denied their right to vote just because they have a different opinion or ethnicity?
H. Jalisi, USA

Ariel Sharon is a war Criminal by anyone's standards, why is the US (and the UK) trying to bring to justice one war criminal (Slobodan Milosovic) while shaking hands with another? Surely a criminal is a criminal?
Armagan Akram, London, UK

Israel won't go away and die, and nobody should expect us to

Michael, Jerusalem, Israel

Once again, the comments from people outside Israel prove that everybody listens to biased reporting, rather than hearing the truth. An organisation in Israel translates the "official" news bulletins of the Palestinians, and if you'd read the transcripts, you'd understand why Barak had to go, and just regret that he twisted the electoral law to keep Netanyahu (everybody's real choice) out of the race.
Israel won't go away and die, and nobody should expect us to. And if the Palestinians want to be regarded as victims, they should stop the violence, and sit down to talk.
Michael, Jerusalem, Israel

Although I don't buy the argument that Israel belongs to the Jews, just because it says so in a book (by that rationale, today's Italians can lay claim to the rest of Europe; and Native Americans own the US), the fact of the matter is that Israel exists and has to be dealt with. All Arab nations and communities need to accept this reality ... Israel is not going to go away! Similarly, the Israelis need to understand that they simply cannot have it all their own way ... the Palestinians are real people with real needs and aspirations who deserve equal opportunity to excel and develop.
Mark M. Newdick, USA/UK

Arafat is now the loser, he pushed for too much and now he has got nothing

B Cope, Manchester UK

The world has now seen that it is the Palestinians and not the Israelis who are the real obstacle to peace. Arafat was offered the most generous concessions ever and he chose to reject them. The reason, the Palestinians want Israel's destruction, nothing that is offered will ever be enough. Arafat is now the loser, he pushed for too much and now he has got nothing = Sharon. It is his own fault.
B Cope, Manchester UK

Arafat missed a golden opportunity. The more Barak conceded the more Arafat wanted. It will be some time before Israel can reach such a state of negotiation again.
Edwin Gatt, St. Paul's Bay Malta

Your comments during the programme

I would like to point to a different perspective: what has been happening to all the money being given to the Palestinians by the West? The standards of living of the Palestinians in Gaza and West Bank is just as abominable as before and the leadership is getting fat. No wonder there is rebellion in the street, except that it is wrongfully being fanned towards what is their considered traditional enemy - Israel.
Claudia Nielsen

I think USA is responsible for all violence in Palestine

Yoosaf, India

I think USA is responsible for all violence in Palestine. They are fooling the world by acting as a mediator. Without the help of USA Israel cannot do this. We all have seen thousands of pictures of cruelty against these innocent people. Don't forget the UN ordinance to give back the Arab land.
Yoosaf, India

Wow! So many people, few of which are Israelis, have so much to say about this. The truth is, a lot of Israelis didn't even vote, some were protesting, some couldn't decide, some can't really see the deference, Sharon, Barak, that isn't the problem. It doesn't matter who will lead Israel in the next 4 years, what matters is that we really want to live in peace, only peace takes at least 2 partners . . . We just don't have a partner, as it seems
That's too bad.
Amir, Israel

Ultimately Israel would have to give the Arab land back as per the requirements of U.N resolutions. History shows when 12 year old boys start dying for a right cause, they can never be defeated. Israel must understand this.
Usman Mir, Cambridge

Leaders can no longer mingle with the populations they supposedly represent, and must hide behind massive security devices and forces

Miles Fusco

There is a very disturbing arch-conservative trend in government today, epitomized in the US as lead by Mr Bush and in Israel by Mr Sharon, toward the total security state. Suspension of civil rights, in the name of security, is acceptable to citizens in fear. Leaders can no longer mingle with the populations they supposedly represent, and must hide behind massive security devices and forces. Is it not to be expected, then, that some frustrated citizens will express their anger the only way they can -- by protest and violence of their own?
Miles Fusco

Mr. Sharon was freely elected by Israeli people as PM and he will remain there as their leader as long as they want him.
John Mac Acuek, NSW, Australia

Can there really be peace? Lets look at the entire scenario - on the one hand we have corrupt officials on the Palestinian side, who have been known to be siphoning off millions from the various charities ref the various reports in the News Week and other reputed magazines, and on the other a leader who's known to be a hard hitting general. What a combination.
Raymond J, India

Your comments before we went ON AIR

Sharon's presence alone is enough to spur further violence. Israel voted for this man so be it. It is their right to do so. Let them do this without the $10 Billion per year that the state of Israel receives from the American taxpayer. My tax dollars do not need to go to hypocrites.
Jack Johnson, USA

Sharon is a throwback to an era when leaders pursued personal visions of glory, instead of national policy. Sharon bears a strong resemblance to medieval kings, pursuing their own tiny slice of power at the expense of their subjects. It's a pity that he was chosen to lead a modern nuclear power, with the title 'Prime Minister.' He would be more appropriately titled 'Caesar.'
Dan Andrews, Cairo, Egypt

I seems to me that Sharon is the wrong man for this job to much of a hawk it seems that the Arab community will not like it.
Jery Gallo, Burlington, USA

Where is the Palestinian Mandela? They need him - not the gun

Paul, Gaborone, Botswana

It seems to me like the international opinion on the Israeli crisis can never be objective. How can anything except a larger conflict be expected when everyone approaches the question with their own bias? Seems to me like the Israelis elect leaders in response to what is going on around them. Wars and rumours of uprising brought Sharon. Has the world already forgotten what they allowed to happen to the Jews, the very issue that caused the blockade running and their declaration of statehood? Why does no one bring in the factor of the legitimate Israeli preoccupation with security? A peaceful Arab approach might solve the problem. Analogies between Israel and Apartheid in South Africa have been made. Where is the Palestinian Mandela? They need him - not the gun.
Paul, Gaborone, Botswana

What everyone conveniently forgets is that the Palestinians were party to their own misfortune, preferring in 1948 to await the outcome of the Arab invasion in refugee camps than settle down and work with the Israelis. It is also convenient to call Sharon a war criminal when he has not in any case been indicted for war crimes. The '82 massacres were not carried out by him but by Lebanese phalangist militias. His resignation was simply an acceptance of indirect responsibility as defence minister. I personally do not believe Sharon wants peace but then neither does Arafat. Why else would you allow kids to throw stones at soldiers or refuse to negotiate with Barak?
Emeka, UK/Nigeria

Ariel Sharon has done some things which might define him as a war criminal. So has Arafat. But he is a pragmatic politician, and I don't believe he wants a war with the Arab world. He will, like Netanyahu, try to slow down the peace process. Let us remember that perhaps the biggest shift in Israeli politics in past years is that Likud has become pro-peace. The fact that Ariel Sharon would run a campaign as a Likud candidate on the basis of bringing peace is in itself revolutionary and signifies that though the PM is a right-winger, the momentum of the Israel policy has a leftward bend and will thus force Sharon to form a NUG if he wishes to make it until the end of the year.
Michael Brenner, Poughkeepsie, NY

The Palestinians can't compromise any more simply because they have nothing more to compromise

Ahmed, Madison, USA

"The Arabs missed the boat", "The Arabs don't want peace", "The Israelis have gone as far as they can go". These are the kinds of statements some in the Western world keep blindly repeating and they puzzle me. This is exactly as somebody taking over your home by force then offers you the basement and says "this is as far as I can go with you!" and when you refuse this and demand your full rights then you are "missing the boat" or "denying peace". I would like to remind the same people that the Palestinians started with the recognition of the state of Israel (compare the Israelis refusing even to mention an independent Palestinian state), the Palestinian authority started even to arrest their own people (bringing much opposition from the inside) for the sake of continuing the peace talks, and still they "don't want peace". The Palestinians can't compromise any more simply because they have nothing more to compromise.
Ahmed, Madison, USA

Jerusalem belongs to all three religions. Jews keep referring that Jerusalem is all theirs in its entirety. The Torah, the Bible, and Koran tell that Jerusalem is all of ours, yet the argument for the peace process was that occupied territories after the illegal acquisition in the six day war, the UN resolution 242 of 1967 says all captured lands in the six day war must be returned. Israel ignored it as well as other UN resolutions. This brings us to Mr. Sharon. I have nothing against visiting a holy site, but Mr. Sharon isn't just any ordinary Jew, he was the cause of these violent uprisings. Mr Sharon is not going to be easily accepted by Arabs, until he proves that he is after peace. It's been a long road of violence, and I believe that both Arabs and Israelis are tired of war, and they need to make peace; however, the Israelis are hard on giving Moslems the part of the holy land that belongs to them and the whole mess ends. So if Mr. Sharon knows what's good for him, he'll pursue the peace other wise WAR.
Mostafa, Egyptian in the USA

Sooner or later, there must be something like peace in the Middle East, taking into account the aspirations and rights of all who live there

S. D. Yana Davis, Cape Girardeau USA

Those of us old enough to remember probably recall that gloom and forecasts of doom followed the victory of Menahem Begin and the Likud in Israeli elections in the seventies. Yet Begin - with a lot of help from US President Jimmy Carter and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat - managed to get Israel closer to peace than it ever had been since its inception. Though there is no way of knowing for sure, perhaps Ariel Sharon will play just such a part in the bloody Middle Eastern drama. Sooner or later, there must be something like peace in the Middle East, taking into account the aspirations and rights of all who live there.
S. D. Yana Davis, Cape Girardeau USA

Israelis on this forum are very keen to talk about their rights. Don't the Palestinians have rights too ? Their rights have been trampled on for the last 50 years while the international community stood by, and indeed armed and financed their oppressor. Finally they have realised that our governments aren't going to do anything for them. Finally they have stood up for themselves, and are paying a terrible price for their freedom - They deserve our support.
Raquib, London,UK

I am sympathetic to the Israeli people, and I do wish them a future of peace and prosperity. But I ask you to please realise that you cannot be occupiers and demand peace from the people you occupy. Also your conflict has caused us, the Lebanese, to be occupied by the Syrian army. So non of us here in the Middle East is experiencing true freedom. Whether we are Christian, Jewish , or Moslem, we all deserve to live in peace. And peace is only reachable when the lands that don't belong to Israel are returned to their rightful citizens. This is a tough neighbourhood we live in, the only way we will survive is if we realise that this land belongs to us all. I hope Sharon will pursue and revive the peace process, but unfortunately I doubt it. I realise that Arafat and other Arab leaders have been ruthless and responsible for many deaths, but that doesn't clear the way for Sharon to be elected prime minister. The election confirms the Israeli misconception as to how peace will be reached. If peace is desired then international law and United Nations resolutions have to be respected. And people that throw stones are not to be answered by machine guns, tanks, and helicopters.
Ziad, Beirut, Lebanon

The Israelis have elected a man they believe will work to get the job done, and do it while representing the interests of Israel. The election shows the disgust of the Israeli people with Barak. I see people continually calling Sharon a war criminal, yet the man who has been leading the Palestinians has sponsored terrorism himself. He has the ability to ring-in his people in order to get things done, yet look what he's accomplished instead. Barak was willing to give the Palestinians far more than previous Israeli leaders, yet he still walked out on the peace talks. I don't understand why it is that in this day and age, when somebody is willing to stand up for his country and put its interests first, all of a sudden he's labelled a extremist and a Zealot.
Ryan Corcoran, Austin, Texas, USA

don't you think that after all, Mr Sharon is made of same stuff as previous leaders of Israel?

Leon Blank, Brussels, Belgium

The media point out the connection between Ariel Sharon and the massacre of Sabrah and Shatilah, and not always with reference to the Lebanese Christians who actually committed those terrible deeds: so the main feeling which emerges is that Ariel Sharon is the very person who did the massacre by himself. Moreover his resignation was due not because he was guilty of the massacre, but he had to resign as any leader should do when a catastrophe occurs when he is in charge. I did not hear about the reason why Israel invaded Lebanon and why they were allied to the Christian Lebanese, which was to fight the terrorist actions from the Palestinians against Israel and against their Lebanese hosts. It does not justify the massacre of innocent civilian victims in the camps and does not make Ariel Sharon a saint. But it brings into a better perspective those facts in the past, which are generally used to judge the new prime minister of Israel. The question based on that, don't you think that after all, Mr Sharon is made of same stuff (good or bad) as previous leaders of Israel?
Leon Blank, Brussels, Belgium

The Arabs and all their supporters will do well to hold their peace before they accuse our leader as a war criminal. Arab and Muslim leaders, past and present, have set such records of butchering their own people (including Palestinians) that Israel will never be able to break. They also have to understand that we are not impressed when they explain to us that we are racist occupants who have nothing to do in Jerusalem, Hebron, Judea and Tel-Aviv. It's hard to explain to Arabs, but the Westerners here should understand that democracy means loud arguments and disagreements. They also should get into their heads that we have our values that no one is allowed to trample upon. And they should know that we do not like when somebody is killing us, lynching us, blowing us up - even if this somebody happens to be underage kid with nothing but hate on his mind.
Arik, Jerusalem, Israel

The prospects for peace are gloomy as long as global politics remains steeped in dishonesty and greed

Tim, London, UK

It is a real tragedy what is sanctioned by the mere mention of the word 'democracy'. Sharon was elected in a democratic fashion; therefore we may all turn a blind eye to his past actions. Of course, democracy has nothing to do with it. Our ally is an ally when our interests are at stake. We've seen it all before. The British government knew all about Saddam Hussein and his actions when they considered it acceptable to sell him weapons. He was their ally, despite his known human rights abuses. People like Sharon, both the 'democratically' elected and the autocratic, will continue to find support for years and years to come, no matter if justice or human rights are compromised. "Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East�" So what? Many of us know that when Algeria's democratic elections in 1992 looked set to bring a Muslim party to power, they were cancelled and the 'democratic' powers turned a blind eye. It is all about greed, and little else. We had riots on the streets of Britain throughout the 1990s, with youths throwing bottles and bricks at the police. Nobody would ever have suggested that it is okay for the police to fire live ammunition back. And yet it is sanctioned in democratic Israel, even against people with legitimate cause to protest, because Israel is an ally. The prospects for peace? Let's talk about honesty and justice first. Sharon, even Israel, is not the only problem. The prospects for peace are gloomy as long as global politics remains steeped in dishonesty and greed.
Tim, London, UK

Could anyone answer my question ? Who among all the Israeli prime ministers has not committed crimes and massacres? Now we are going back to the endless cycle of hatred and revenge. The peace process will take another century or maybe more because the massacres will continue.
Salwa, Lebanon

In response to Ariel's (Ann Arbor, USA) statement about a single Moslem country not electing its ruler democratically-well how about Indonesia and Bangladesh to name two? Incidentally, like Israel, these countries have had corruption scandals with their elected rulers, and also like Israel they have occasionally violated human rights and have not always been sensitive to their minorities.
M. M. Zaman, UK in US

The bombing in Israel will continue as long as the injustice continues against the people of Palestine. If the violence was closer to home for the UK and US then they would seek a quicker resolution to the problem. The western world will continue to support the Jews as long as the problem does not crop up in their own back yard. Robin Cook was quick to condemn Col. Gaddafi for not following UN instructions, why is he not so open in condemning Israel for violating UN resolutions, I wonder?
N Akram, London, UK

It's interesting that Sharon visits a holy site, causing the Intifada, which causes Barak to call an election, which leads to Sharon, the man who started it all, becoming Prime minister. A cynic might think he planned it all ...
CG, Swindon, UK

What direction the peace process takes will not only depend on Ariel Sharon but the entire international community

RBD, India

To Dave: wolves do help protect chickens ... that's what we have in dogs and it is the responsibility of the international community to bring out the dog in the wolf that Sharon has been all along. What direction the peace process takes will not only depend on Ariel Sharon but the entire international community.
RBD, India

How can the Israelis be called murderers when thousands of Arabs live in the state of Israel without harm. How can Israel sit back if the whole of the so-called Muslim world is seeking for their destruction. How can the Israelis sit back when the very people who cry for peace are calling for the total destruction of Israel? Not until people stop being biased in the Arab-Israeli conflict will peace be realized in the Middle East.
Philip, Seattle, USA

Palestinians don't have to accept the best offer and they shouldn't because they've given up enough rights

Hesham, New Zealand

It amazes me when people here keep saying that the Palestinians have recklessly missed their best and only chance for peace. Palestinians don't have to accept the best offer and they shouldn't because they've given up enough rights and all what they want/deserve is simply the implementation of the UN resolutions. Arafat doesn't own the Palestinians and hence has no right of giving up the right of return for the refugees; neither does he own the Noble Sanctuary to give it away. He, also, isn't obliged to comply with the wishes of some double-standard world leaders and "significant" figures. Of course he has a responsibility of preventing bloodshed but it was once said, and this notion is unfortunately still valid, what was taken by force can't be retrieved except by force.
Hesham, New Zealand

Arafat and the Palestinians have backed the wrong horse again. During the Gulf War they backed Saddam and their so called "brother" Arabs punished them by expelling Palestinians and cutting off funds to the PLO. Now Arafat backs violence and gets Sharon. Barak was even willing to concede Jerusalem and Arafat wanted more. Well you can't always get what you want. Palestinian refugees can be resettled and compensated. Where are their "Arab brothers" when they need financial help the most? Israel is not going to disappear or become weaker. The militant Arabs have pushed Israel too far, Israel will strike back.
Vum Khan Mang, Wharton, US

We wanted someone who will be good for us - not for the world. Sounds bad? Tough!

Shlomo M., Israel, Jerusalem

Reading part of the comments in this section I would like to ask one question - are we, the Israelis, making this peace for the whole world - or for ourselves? The whole world, sometimes it seems, likes us when we give up, when we are humble. But when we stand by our rights, by what is holy for us, and for every Jew in the whole world - then we are dangerous, we are against peace. Why is it that an Arab murdering a Jew expresses his 'frustration', and an Israeli soldier, returning fire to his attacker is 'targeting little Arab children'? Ariel Sharon was elected PM because Barak represented to many Israelis a feeble, coward, foolish person, that keeps on talking to the Arabs, while they shoot at Israeli citizens, while they lie, while they break every agreement ever signed with them, and while they teach their children to kill and hate - and not peace. We wanted someone who will be good for us - not for the world. Sounds bad? Tough!
Shlomo M., Israel, Jerusalem

The situation in the Middle East has dragged on forever. The only way to put an end to it is if both religions treat each other with equality. Judaism and Islam are very similar faiths, it is sad to see that people who have practically the same faith can be so different. The Israelis should allow the refugees, that they pushed out so long ago, to return to their land, the only reason they aren't doing so is because they do not want to give up the Jewish majority. Is it the Palestinian's fault that he/she is a Muslim, should they be condemned to refugee camps just because of their faith? It is sad that the UN is doing nothing to quash the fighting. If they impose sanctions on Israel to force it to accept the refugees then most of the quarrels will end. The Israelis are being selfish in a sense that they believe that the land is theirs, Muslims also consider the land sacred.
Anna, Canada

Israel is not viable in the long term without the trust of her neighbours, and is currently doing little to inspire this trust.
Mick, UK

One day there will be either a peace along the lines of what was already on the table, or a Middle East destroyed by war. The first scenario will be possible after Sharon is gone, but we might never get there since this man might trigger off the second scenario before that. But this ugly occupation won't last. Blame goes to both sides, but let's not forget that Sharon got exactly what he planned for when he went to the Temple Mount on 28 September: Palestinian violence that makes him look like the savior of his nation. It is sad that his malicious intentions worked out this well.
Stephen, Washington DC, USA

Any newly elected leader will try to "start as he means to go on" especially in such a political powder keg, so what has Sharon done so far? In his victory speech, he talked about "real peace and stability" - well, talk is cheap, it's actions that really matter. In the 2 days since his victory he has managed to anger both the Egyptian and Jordanian governments - is this an indication of what's to come?
Odarka, Manchester, UK

I read a lot here about Palestinians having no right of return. Seems a bit rich from people promoting a country that has the right of return at its foundation.
Paul Killick, UK

Every time that Israel stands for its right or shows some force you don't like it

Yehuda Ben-Ya'akov, Israel

As an Israeli I am amazed of the hatred that I read here towards Israel and its new leader Ariel Sharon. Any of you that thinks that Sharon is a war criminal have ever thought who is Arafat. Arafat's hands are full of Jewish blood. He was and still is the partner of Saddam Hussein who has killed hundreds of thousands of his own people. Do you know how many Palestinians where murdered by King Hussein? Do you know how many thousands of Syrians where murdered by their own president Assad in Hama? Do you know how many are murdered every day in Algeria by Muslim extremists? Many of you would like to finish what has started in Europe in the second world war when 6 million Jews were murdered. Every time that Israel stands for its right or shows some force you don't like it. You are used to seeing Jews only as lambs. You all know that the land of Israel belongs to the people of Israel. Remember that Jordan is actually 3/4 of Palestine and 2/3 of its people are Palestinians so, what more do you want from us? Peace will come only when the Arabs recognize the rights of the Jewish people on the land of Israel and when they themselves adopt the democratic system to the benefit of their own people and the whole region.
Yehuda Ben-Ya'akov, Givat'aim Israel

In your article on the Palestinian refugees' right of return you make no mention of the millions of Jewish people who were forced to leave Arab countries - including Egypt, Syria, Lebanon and Iraq since the troubles have started. No negotiations can take place without these people being duly compensated. The most appropriate suggestion could be that each Jew thrown out of a country could cancel out the right of return of a Palestinian thrown out of Palestine/Israel - the figures would roughly cancel each other out. There is also the fact of financial losses - you will find that the Jews living in Arab countries lost a lot more in economic terms than the Arabs in Palestine/Israel.
Davide Barzilai, London, England

It's time now that the rest of the world stands firm towards Israel and forces them to accept the UN resolutions

Albert, Edinburgh, UK

Please do not forget that there are UN resolutions (the withdrawal of Israel from all the occupied land, including East Jerusalem and the return of the refugees to their home). If Israel wants lasting peace it's very clear what they need to do. By electing Sharon, the people of Israel think that they need to be firm with the Palestinians. They get it wrong. It's time now that the rest of the world stands firm towards Israel and forces them to accept the UN resolutions.
Albert, Edinburgh, UK

Sharon has declared negotiations will not commence from where Barak concluded. Given Sharon's hawkish and semi-racist attitudes towards the Arabs, it is unlikely we'll see any productive measures coming out of Israel in his term. Let's hope the years since his military career have given him some newfound wisdom regarding his dealings with the Palestinians.
Sameer, United States

The entire world desperately needs to understand that the very man who provoked and was responsible for the latest 4 months of uprising and bloodshed has been elected to power by the Israeli people. The implications of this are indeed very disturbing. It makes you wonder, of the "agenda for peace" that Jewish people have for both themselves and the Palestinians. In any decent, democratic country tried this man would be tried for war crimes and other atrocities against the Palestinians. And yet, we see him on the forefront of Israeli politics as our new prime minister. These two facts paint a very grim picture for the future of peace in the Middle East. Indeed this is a sad day not just for Jews and Arabs, but for the entire world.
Fozieh Elamad, Toronto, Canada

The people of Israel no longer believe in the willingness of Yasser Arafat to stop the terror and make peace

Ilya Lisansky, Boston, USA

The West has been exerting all the pressure it could for ten years to force a peace agreement onto Israel and her neighbours. Unfortunately the language of compromise is foreign to the regime of Yasser Arafat. The people of Israel voted down Ehud Barak because they no longer believe in the willingness of Yasser Arafat to stop the terror and make peace. The Arabs have vast lands in their possession, the Jewish people a small piece, Israel. They have the right to safety in their own homeland, and Ariel Sharon will deliver it.
Ilya Lisansky, Boston, USA

As an "Arab" with both "Arab" and Jewish friends, I feel that Sharon bodes ill for both parties involved in the conflict. It is the lack of their basic human rights that Palestinians, even the children, feel compelled to protest. How much does peace cost? How many lives and how many resources will be wasted? May God bless those with truly peaceful intentions.
Hypatia, USA

Having signed the Oslo agreement, the Palestinian regime violated each and every provision of the accord. They have created a 40,000-strong army, educated their children about Jihad against Israel, engaged in terror and lynching and demanded more and more. Yes, the Temple Mount is the third most sacred place for the Moslems. This is not the reason for them to have sovereignty over it. The same place is the first and the only sacred Jewish place. Yes, 700,000 Arabs went into exile in 1948. The same number of Jews were expelled at the same time from Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Iraq and North Africa. There was a population exchange, simple as that. Sharon was elected democratically. Show me a single Arab or, for that matter, Moslem country that can say the same about its ruler.
Ariel, Ann Arbor USA

I am hopeful that Sharon will negotiate an effective peace from a position of strength

David, USA

All this characterization of Sharon as a "fascist" or some kind of monster is sheer nonsense. He has been demonized by a nervous and gullible Western media. Sharon is an old soldier it's true -- and a tough opponent of the Arabs on numerous battlefields. But he also wants peace -- just not peace at any price. In this he is perfectly in tune with most Israelis as witness his electoral land-slide victory. I am hopeful that Sharon will negotiate an effective peace from a position of strength, not weakness. This will be a peace that insures Israel's security, not a peace which relinquishes everything Israel has worked and fought for over fifty years. Now is the time for a national unity government with Labour led by Shimon Peres who is both a friend of Sharon's and a political opponent. Together they can steer Israel and the Palestinians towards a peace deal which will last.
David, USA

Many of us who voted for Sharon feel that there is an absence of peace. The Palestinian Authority has unceasingly poured forth hatred of Israel and Jews through its education system and media networks. At the moment the only people talking about war are the Arabs. Israelis feel that Barak offered Yasser Arafat the most he could but even that wasn't good enough and the response was the violence which erupted last year. We all hope and pray for peace daily.
Malcolm Palmer, Bet Shemesh, Israel

Mike in Calgary, Ariel Sharon is not a Russian immigrant to Israel. He was born in 1928 in a Moshav (agricultural kibbutz) near Tel Aviv; land legally acquired and hardly "stolen" in the "colonial" manner that he so histrionically describes. Sharon has many and various faults and I would never have supported him to further any peace dialogue in the region. However mis-informed people must realise that there was a continual Jewish presence in this region for thousands of years especially Jerusalem and Hebron. This is not including Jews who immigrated there and bought their land from Arab landowners in the 18th and 19th centuries. It is interesting to note and is factually correct that people such as Ariel Sharon were themselves Palestinians - Jewish Palestinians.
Jo Bell, London, England

I have a hard time understanding how people can say Arafat was wrong in not accepting Barak's peace proposals. True, Barak went further than any other Israeli leader in offering concessions, but they were still not in line with the security council resolutions put forth decades ago. Israelis must realize that these resolutions will not be forgotten by the international community. They will never have peace without implementing them. They have got to play by the same rules as the rest of the world. Ariel Sharon's attitude will not bring peace. I pray for the innocents on both sides that he will not be in power long enough to get too many people killed.
Jason, USA

It's a shame to vote for a man with such a track record. I wish the people of the middle east good luck. Peace.
S. Kay, Sierra Leone

Spare a thought for those living under an already brutally efficient occupation which is about to be invigorated by a man whose exploits differ from those of Slobodan Milosoveic in scale only, not ambition

Raman Dinesh, UK

Those who advocate greater "security" for Israel show, through their partisan comments, that for them Israel will always be vindicated in whatever actions it takes and the Palestinians will always be wrong in whatever they do, for the simple reason that Israel is a creation of the "chosen people". Such an inherently irrational and racist view allows for subscription to beliefs that, e.g Arafat deliberately sends Palestinian children to be shot, he secretly desires war all the time and that he very probably eats Jewish babies. Equally it forms the basis for saying the Palestinians were too greedy by rejecting Barak's "peace" offer, Palestinians don't deserve a state. If the lessons of history are correct, perpetual slavery and occupation cannot persist -let's hope that's correct. Meanwhile spare a thought for those living under an already brutally efficient occupation which is about to be invigorated by a man whose exploits differ from those of Slobodan Milosoveic in scale only, not ambition.
Raman Dinesh, UK

If peace means total capitulation, Arafat has failed a great opportunity to bring "peace". What kind of peace do Israelis expect. Should 3.5 million people continue living in camps and accept the biggest ethnic cleansing since WW2? Should 1 billion Muslims be denied their right to visit the third most holiest place in Islam? What Barak offered to Palestinians was the least he could do. Under his power Jewish settlements grew like they never had before and the Golan Heights, which he promised to hand back to Syria remained occupied. I just want to remind some people that the number of Palestinians who where killed in the conflict was at least 7 or 8 times higher than that of Israelis. Unfortunately, the life of a Palestinian teenager is regarded worthless in the Western world.
Peyman Dadgar, Tehran, Iran

Let us not forget that Sharon was elected in a democratic fashion

Neil, Canada

Let us not forget that Sharon was elected in a democratic fashion. Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East and we should respect the outcome. The Arabs decided by their own free will not to vote. I hope for peace in the region. I hope the Palestinians eventually become sincere in their peace efforts. Talk is easy to come by, and it seems like that is all they are doing
Neil, Canada

It doesn't matter who the leader of Israel is. Peace will come only when there is justice for the Palestinian people. Real justice, where Israel withdraws to the pre-1967 borders. Israel has to withdraw from all occupied lands including East Jerusalem, not part of it. Indonesia had to withdraw from all of East Timor. Why is the rule different for Israel?
Ramesh K, Australia

Reading the comments made me realise that Westerners tend to think that everyone is like them. Well, this is not Northern Europe, this is the Middle East. Weakness can invite war, but fear can enforce peace.
Dan L, USA