The decision by Israel to pull its settlers out of all the Gaza Strip and out of four settlements is most welcome news and are being seen by some as very early steps towards the creation of a Palestinian state.

The Likud Party Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has announced that he has given the 9,000 settlers an extra 48 hours grace to leave the area – which expires this morning. He cited an untenable defence of the Gaza settlements as the reason for the withdrawal – in view of the 1.3 million Palestinians that live in cramped and squalid quarters close to the coast and in Gaza city. This might be so, but as yet the situation – while relatively calm from the Palestinian side – could still flare up. Thousands of Israeli Jews have barricaded themselves in their settlements and by the main gates, but as from tomorrow the military will begin to drag any stragglers out forcibly.

Militant groups such as Hamas have, however, promised that they will not attack any departing Jews. But one can foresee that there will be a lot of kicking and screaming.

It is, however, great to see that these Arab people are finally being allowed the chance to make a better life for themselves. One sincerely hopes that the PLO can convince and even force Hamas and other such terrorist movements to lay down their weapons and allow dialogue to flow.

Gaza was always going to be an easier nut to crack than the West Bank. Despite Israel saying that these territories are disputed, following the 1967 war, it is clear that they are occupied. In fact, there is really no such thing as Palestine. The people are very unfortunate Arabs who have been bounced about since the turn of the last century.

They are now demanding the right to have their own state and this is finally a vindication of their claims. It is not however a vindication of acts of terrorism. The PLO says that the move by the Israelis to retreat from the strip is the fruit of peaceful negotiations; we would have to agree. Hamas, on the other hand, says that the move is a result of the blood spilt by martyrs – which is definitely not the case. Every time suicide bombers have struck, Israel has responded with force. Unfortunately, innocent civilians have often become victims in this terrible conflict.

The ball has been set in motion and Gaza is well on the way to becoming a self sufficient – but tiny – state.

On to the West Bank. The West Bank used to be under Jordanian control – so, once again, we see that there is “no Palestine”. The territory was captured by the Israelis after the Six-day war, so again what we see is that we have displaced Arab people living under Jewish occupation. The West Bank ,of course, contains far more Jews than does Gaza but has a majority of 2.4 million Palestinians over 400,000 Israeli settlers. In addition, Jerusalem lies within the area. Both Palestinians and Israelis are claiming that Jerusalem should be their state’s capital city.

At present, east Jerusalem’s administration is in the hands of the Palestinians and the west is in Israeli hands, but a border running down the middle of the city is likely to be unacceptable to either party. Perhaps the most practical solution in terms of keeping the peace would be to have Jerusalem as an open capital city administered by the United Nations, which is the stance adopted by the Catholic Church. The first tentative steps have been taken, but there is still a long way to go. However, if all sides cooperate and the international community does not interfere too much, a peaceful solution can be found.