Stephen Hawking says Israel must talk to Hamas

[naomi24]

http://londonersdiary.standard.co.uk/

Is he right - and will it ever happen?

[jake-the-peg]

Well obviously it doesn't take Stephen Hawking to see that!

It doesn't seem very likely does it?

But then this seemed equally improbably when I was growing up

http://www.britishblogs.co.uk/images/228483.jp g

Now can we have David Miliband view on quantum gravity?

[123everton]

You can't negotiate with someone who wants to bring about your total annihilation.
Even if Hamas agreed with Israel's right to exist there would be a dissident group that would reject it, which would result in the next war there.
Ariel Sharon was a bit of a b@st@rd but he kinda had the right idea, he appeared to me to be defining Israel's borders unilaterally and then saying so far and no further.
His stance appeared to be we'll never be friends but we're gonna be neighbours.
To sum up and repeat Hamas would have to change its policies to get to the table, and Israel would have to grant full citizenship to Arab Israelis and compensate those who have lost their land.

[Gromit]

Is this supposed to be significant because Stephen Hawking is a brilliant Physicist. I do think he is right, but it does not necessarily follow he is a brilliant politician.

[Lonnie]

I agree naomi, For peace to become a reality, Israel and Hamas must talk, but neither will, can't blame one without the other, but the real stumbling block is Hamas's refusal to recognise Israel, and until that happens, continuous conflict will happen, shame, but I can't see an answer.

There are of course, many other factors, but I won't go into them on this thread.

[anotheoldgit]

Now how is it that I would feel more comfortable and reassured if President Barack Obama had made this request?

[craft1948]

Maybe they think Stephen Hawking will bring brains into the equation.........

[thanks4nowt]

Or a big Bang

[rov1200]

Britain has a lot to answer for when we kicked out the Arabs from their homes in 1948 and allowed Israel to form a state of its own. The world should go back to the drawing board and start again.

http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Peace+Process/Guide+ to+the+Peace+Process/Declaration+of+Establishm ent+of+State+of+Israel.htm

[naomi24]

But how does the world do that, rov?

[Gormless]

Does anybody imagine that the eradication of Israel and all Jews, as Hamas and Iran wish, will solve all the world's problems? That radical Islam will then say, OK all the Jews are gone, end of problem.

No way. Israel is at the forefront of resisting the attempts of fundamentalist ragheads to destroy the West.

Go for it Israel!!