RAYMOND DEANE,
Sir - As I write, the death toll from the latest Hamas suicide bombing has reached 19, with at least 50 injured.
In the face of such atrocities it is difficult to react otherwise than with rage and despair; the former emotion will no doubt provoke brutal military reprisals, while the latter may lead those supportive of the Palestinian cause to concede the justice of such reprisals. Yet it is at such moments that we must pause and question whether it is truly appropriate to allow the enemies of peace to dictate our response; is this not precisely the reaction that they wish to provoke?
Supporters of Israel's continued illegal occupation of Palestinian territories will assert that to seek a solution of the conflict in accordance with international law at this point would be "to reward terrorism".
I believe that the opposite is the case: if the terrorists wish to prevent reconciliation and stave off negotiations, then reconciliation and negotiations are the most potent weapons with which to defeat them.
Neither repression and re-occupation nor the building of a Berlin Wall-style fence will bring peace and security to the Israelis, or long-delayed justice to the Palestinians. - Yours, etc.,
RAYMOND DEANE, Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Dame Street, Dublin 2.