Mick Hartley

That strange letter to the Times on Monday from a bunch of retired UK ambassadors to the Arab world about the need to recognise the state of Palestine (and Israel's supposed use of starvation as a weapon of war in Gaza) has prompted a response from a considerable number of Lords:

Sir, A two-state solution has been desirable for decades. Proposals for partition into two states in the 1938 Peel report have been offered in several guises many times since then but they have always been thwarted, largely because of a reluctance by Palestinians to recognise Israel as a Jewish state. The call (letter, Apr 14) for the UK to recognise Palestine would have to contend not only with that continuing reluctance: the lack of an obvious legitimate and functioning government that commands the support of its population and the murderous split between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority would make it hard to imagine how a Palestinian state could function.

The failure to agree to where its borders might lie is a serious concern. While a recognisable state may be highly desirable there is too much that should be settled before that can be achieved practically. This says nothing of the often repeated intention of Hamas to destroy Israel.

It's all very British – Lords responding to ex-ambassadors – but at least this bunch of upper-crusties know what they're talking about.