Hamas announces 6-month truce with Israel

[Deckard]

Oh please, just drop the antagonistic tone Jason. It only makes you come across as a dick - as does trying to reduce my position to a simple black and white "Israel = bad". I'm actually more than happy to have my mind changed on things, and when I do, it typically comes from constructive civil posts like Sean's rather than dickhead ones like yours. Dialogue and progess are funny things like that.

Sean, I largely agree with you, but I just think it's not the whole story. As BB says, the key challenge in any peace process is not to retaliate when militants (whether it's Islamic Jihad or the Real IRA) try to sabotage it. I understand retaliation to defend yourself, but when it's done in a tit-for-tat way, and when it undoes any progress that's been painstakingly made, the militants have won. It really is as simple as that. The fact that the militants are Palestinian (like the fact that the NI militants were Irish Republican) makes it hard for Israel, but it does not change that simple fact. BOTH parties – Israel AND Hamas – have to hold their nerve, and as BB says, not retaliate in an over-egged way. And yes, also unequivocably condemn (and take reasonable actions to stop) the actions of the militants. Had the Unionists always allowed terror attacks and assassinations by the Real IRA to derail the peace process, then we would not have the peace that we do now. Remember, we still don't have a United Ireland, but neither do we have the IRA letting off bombs in our cities. 20 years ago, that would have been unthinkable.