What baffles me is how stupid two intelligent groups are being. It must be obvious to the Palestinians that every suicide bombing arouses increased Israeli agression; it must be obvious to the Israelis that every state-sponsored invasion arouses increased suicide bombings.

Obviously the two sides' violence is feeding emotionally off each other's responses.

If they're not going to end up in a nuclear war - and I'm speaking literally here - both sides are going to have to realise that they must find agreement, compromise and respect for each other's needs.

The Palestinians need their own country - the Israelis came in and stole their land, after all! - and the Israelis also need theirs.

There could be advantages on both sides if they co-operated: the Israelis agreeing to

* *stop* building settlements

* withdraw from the land invaded in 1967, and help the Palestinians to set up a State of Palestine

* help the Palestinians with education and training and money, in the way that the Americans helped the Israelis when they were setting up their country

* respect the Palestinians' borders and culture

while the Palestinians agreed to

* *respect* the Israelis' borders of 1967

* respect and help the Jewish culture

* work to make Palestine as great a country as Israel

And so on. It can be done.