IS Des Morgan’s question, “which nation... has the greater right to modern day Palestine?”, meant as a refutation of the fact that the land of Palestine was stolen from its people?

Either way it is an irrelevant debating point.

The UN resolution passed in 1947 partitioned Palestine giving the Zionists over half of it even though they owned six per cent.

Even this six per cent ownership was highly dubious.

Nobody asked the Palestinians who lived there if it was OK to give their homes to these new European settlers.

Then the Zionists ethnically cleansed it and most of the rest by planned acts of grotesque terror.

There is absolutely no question or debate about this course of events. The history can be easily reviewed but in any case the people to ask about who should control Palestine is the Palestinians.

Des is also wrong about Hamas, which became popular because decades of attempts by the traditional leadership of Palestinians to arrive at some accommodation with Israel has lead only to more theft of Palestinian land.

Also Hamas signed up to the unity government, which recognises Israel, in June.

For Israel “peace” is a slogan behind which Palestinian land is annexed and remaining Palestinian populations are starved of the means to any kind of life.

Ceasefire on Israeli terms is a green-light for continuing Israeli atrocities.

Ordinary people can help to bring peace to the Middle East through grass roots campaigns in solidarity with Palestinians to oppose our Governments’ continuing unconditional support for the racist Israeli state.

Peter Smith, Woodside Avenue, Swindon