I have to say that whatever the rights and wrongs of the present confrontation between Israel and Lebanon, it is a human tragedy.

But what I do ask is why no one on either side seems to understand that nobody ever wins a war. They may appear to but unless they also win the peace it will only flare up again. Contrast the treatment of Germany after World War I with the Marshall plan after World War II.

The only chance for Israel to live in peace is for her Palestian neighbours to have money poured into them to give them similar prosperity. Do that and the majority will not want to jeopardise that by encouraging extremists. Every bullet and ever bomb smashing into Gaza is postponing peace and recruiting more fanatics. Hamas and Hezbollah in the North will never run out of recruits.