Two Palestines, one answer ?
| 13:54 UK time, Monday, 18 June 2007
From Peter Dobbie...
One week of violence, a government has been dissolved, more than hundred dead -- and the end result is two Palestinian factions running two different part of the Occupied Territories. The gunmen are in control and now have to be dealt with -- on their own terms. And that's the big problem, not just for the politicians in the Palestinian areas, but also for Isreal, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and all the countries who have a vested interest in a calm and settled Middle East.
But have the pundits and analysts got it right -- saying that the fighting of this week has killed off the idea of an independent Palestinian state. Who says just ONE state is what they want ? What's wrong one state-let run by Hamas and the other run by Fatah. Buy one get one free if you like, Palestinian states on special this week -- at least this way everyone would know who they were dealing with, and what those people wanted. Is this nothing more than a very violent process of natural selection ? Let us know what you think ?
Our other topic on World Have Your Say today: the National Assembly is Pakistan has unanimously condemned Britain's award of a knighthood to the author Salman Rushdie and demanded it be withdrawn. A lower house resolution said honouring the author "hurt Muslim sentiments". Sir Salman's book The Satanic Verses, you'll remember, sparked protests by Muslims around the world, and led to Iran issuing a fatwa in 1989 -- they wanted him dead. Iran also criticised the knighthood, saying praising the "apostate" showed Islamophobia among British officials.
What do you think ? Has the UK simply given an honour to a great writer, or is it being hurtful to the world's Muslims ?
Finally -- is there something about your country about which you're proud ? The reason I ask is that the Amazon is now - officially - longer than the Nile, which makes it the longest river on the planet. According to those people who're into geography and cartography (there must be some, who listen to Have Your Say !) that adds a little zest of pride into everyday life for the inhabitants of Peru, Brazil, Bolivia, Ecuador and Colombia So is there anything about your country that you think is great, but is perhaps a little bit out of the ordinary, unusual or downright freaky. But you like it anyway. Let us know your thoughts.
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Later, Peter :-)
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