With reference to Mr Hartley’s letter (August 21) regarding the pounding of Palestine’s Gaza Strip by Israel, he obviously didn’t see the horrific images of the Palestine people fleeing their homes in terror and the many bloody bodies being raced to overstretched hospitals on the tv, as I did, or he couldn’t be on the side of Israel.

I think Baroness Warsi was trying to bring to the attention of David Cameron the fact that he failed to condemn, in the strongest of terms, this ruthless bombardment.

Whether or not these casualties were Muslim or Christian, the severity of the attack was unjustified as it was out of all proportion to the casualties inflicted by the Palestinians and the Israeils knew that the Palestinians did not have the means to effectively strike back. This is surely a war crime.

Mr Hartley cannot say that this conflict is the fault of the Palestinians as both sides were to blame. The Palestinians shouldn’t have fired rockets and the Israelis shouldn’t have fired back with such velocity. Mr Hartley may not know that Israel has occupied and continues to build and occupy Palestinian land and has also prevented the Palestinian people of Gaza from importing and exporting supplies and this blockade by land, air and sea has prevented the people of Gaza from living a normal life and caused high unemployment. T

he people are malnourished and only survive due to donations from the US and the EU. Having been oppressed in this way, it is no wonder that they have felt very angry and have reacted by building tunnels and firing rockets. This is why they voted for a Hamas government – they had had enough.

Mr Hartley may recall that it was the Israeli government who would not participate in talks for peace and so no solution was found. The Palestinians only want their land back and the blockade lifted. The Israelis have no right to take over another person’s land, whoever they are, let alone bulldoze their houses. The two sides will not live peacefully together until this is done. It has nothing to do with the Koran, it’s more to do with the bible and the Israelis’ perception that God has given them this land.

As regards Hamas being allied with Isis,as far as is known, Hamas is only active in Palestine and fighting Israel. Isis, however, is another matter, has its own agenda, and is obviously a very dangerous organisation, although it could ultimately join up with Hamas and try to take over Israel. Other terrorist organisations see it as a ‘West versus Islam’ war since our not very sensible invasion of Iraq.

Mr Hartley is right, however, that we have to do more to combat terrorism but not by supporting Israel.

Mrs J Kendall, Pans Lane, Devizes.