IT’S sad when a government minister suffers severe criticism for meeting a representative of the Israeli Government. It’s sad when all the experts and authorities on one side of the argument seem to ignore the various mass killings across various conflicts in Yemen, Nigeria, Eritrea or Somalia, none of which involve Israelis.

The mass protests across the UK in support of Palestinians is almost unprecedented. The moral high ground is their territory despite many of them having very little knowledge of the history and no willingness to listen to any debate that isn’t blind support of the Palestinians.

History tells us conflicts are only ever settled when peace talks are successful or if the victor achieves unconditional surrender. The latter will never happen in this conflict.

Have we learned nothing from the peace process in Northern Ireland? After 30 years of murders, bombings and knee-cappings it came down to sitting at a table with leaders of organisations who would have previously shot each other on sight if the opportunity arose.

Nobody in their right mind is not horrified at the bombings and subsequent deaths of over 40,000 people including 15,000 children. Nobody can defend this act as it’s just wrong.

Nobody in their right mind can defend the horrendous mass murder by Hamas on October 7. The taking of civilian hostages was despicable with no regard to their age or gender. These hostages along with the victims of the bombings are mainly civilian casualties.

Entrenched positions and moral high grounds only ever result in continuous conflict. My belief is that only a two-party state is the answer. I’m not an expert but the slogan "from the river to the sea" has to be dropped. Israel must cease the bombings immediately and Hamas must release the hostages.

The UN simply has to help create new borders that allows both sides to feel safe and secure. This will be impossible unless talks are held, and criticising any politician who tries to engage with either side is simply unfair.

John Gilligan, Ayr.

SNP stance is pathetic

I HAVE been a supporter of the SNP for the past 20 years. I totally agree with the comments of Colin Cowan ("Shame on them: SNP used my brother’s murder as a cynical photo-op", The Herald, August 21).

The leadership of the SNP Government is pathetic, making it appear as if Israel is the perpetrator of the war in Gaza.

In October 2023, Hamas slaughtered over 1,200 Israeli citizens and kidnapped a further 250 people. Hamas knew exactly what it was doing and knew that Israel would react violently to this attack. In my opinion Hamas could not care less about the number of Palestinians who would die if it bolstered world knowledge of their group.

On October 7 we saw the worst slaughter of Jews since the Holocaust. The only people Israel could rely on for support were their own citizens and their own military. The retribution has been horrendous and many Palestinians have died but this would never have happened if Hamas had not attacked in the first place.

Eddie Robertson, Loganswell.

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UK-wide approach serves us best

IT is ironic that Stan Grodynski’s complaint that the “Scottish Government does not have the power to decriminalise the use of drugs” (Letters, August 20) should appear on the same day that it was announced that Glasgow's first Safer Drug Consumption Facility will open on October 21 to accommodate up to 30 service users, with facilities for safe drug use and medical support. Scotland's Lord Advocate has declared that drug use in the centre will not result in prosecution.

This is one of many instances in which those who seek the break-up of the United Kingdom do great harm to Scotland by failing to recognise that the best interests of Scotland in addressing issues such as drugs as well as education, infrastructure, health, welfare, transport, foreign affairs and so on all lie in a Scotland which participates fully and vigorously with the United Kingdom which, along with the world at large, stands also to benefit from that participation.

The harm brought about by the past 20 years of introverted focus on what turns out to have been a wasted quest for an undefined objective of independence is all too clear to see. Mr Grodynski’s letter is a particularly clear demonstration of the misunderstanding which has driven that quest and has led to its ultimate failure.

Michael Sheridan, Glasgow.

• IT’S interesting to witness the outrage at the number of Scottish deaths caused by illegal drugs last year when the number is actually less than that directly attributed to alcohol, a drug which “society” has decided to legalise. Alcohol despite being legal is a scourge on society and is the root cause of many health, social and legal problems.

Many of the current problems associated with the consumption of illegal substances are directly related to its illegality and would disappear were they to become part of a legitimate and quality-controlled industry. Since it is calculated that the drug trade is responsible for between 1% and 5% of global GDP, the financial spin-off of legalising the trade would be substantial especially as the demand for these substances continues to exist despite the illegality.

One has to ask why the substances are treated differently. Why is one allowed to drink oneself to death but not "shoot" or "sniff" oneself into oblivion. Surely it’s not simply because the drug trade is not and could never be directly controlled by the Establishment?

David J Crawford, Glasgow.

Could Scots Tories go it alone?

I FOUND myself laughing at your front page article ("Fraser: Scots Tories can appeal to ex-SNP and indy backers", The Herald, August 22), because it certainly stretches the imagination somewhat; but then Murdo Fraser may just be delusional.

Mr Fraser knows fine well that most Scottish Nationalists recognise the damage the Conservatives have done to Scotland over many years and are very unlikely to switch to the Tories as demonstrated at the recent General Election.

I would like to take Murdo Fraser back some years when he himself was worried about the survival of the Scottish Conservatives. His solution was to propose that the Scottish Conservatives go it alone, becoming independent and separate from the UK party. Considering the current state of the Conservatives at Westminster, is he considering rekindling his proposal?

Catriona C Clark, Falkirk.

Knee-jerk reactions

THE treatment of the Scottish Government’s experimental abolition of peak fares on ScotRail by politicians, trade unions and commentators in the Scottish media makes me wonder whether any initiative can be given fair consideration. This step, presented as a proposal to help with cost of living pressures and to get traffic off the roads, was explicitly linked to an increase in traffic of 10% to limit the cost to the taxpayer. It failed to meet that target and is therefore to be abandoned ("Dismay as peak rail fares return", The Herald, August 21).

That decision has been condemned by the rail unions which do not acknowledge that their own industrial action, that has so limited ScotRail’s ability to offer a reliable and full timetable, might have contributed to the outcome. It has been condemned by the media, in some cases as imposition of a “stealth tax”, though if the project had continued at a loss it would, no doubt, have been an example of government profligacy. It has been condemned by opposition politicians in the conventional knee-jerk reaction but without any coherent argument.

I despair.

James Scott, Edinburgh.

Peak rail fares are to be reintroduced on ScotRail servicesPeak rail fares are to be reintroduced on ScotRail services (Image: Newsquest)

Misdirected opportunity

YOU report that 19 young women from Afghanistan are able to access a high quality medical education in Scotland ("Female medical students travel to Scotland to defy Taliban ban", The Herald, August 21). They were given an "incredibly emotional" welcome by a Scotland Office minister, Kirsty McNeill. You report they have "the opportunity of a tremendous education and career. The alternative for them in Afghanistan wasn’t good".

You omit to report how such highly-valued extra places were found in our medical schools, and what the cost shall be to the people of Scotland to fund the education and range of ancillary needs going forward.

I am certain that there are vastly more than 19 young men and women in Scotland who have achieved through determined hard work the educational requirements to pursue a medical career in fulfilment of a long-held passion to serve their communities but have been unable to secure a place in their own medical schools: medical schools paid for and sustained by the taxes (increased by the SNP) paid by their parent and grandparents.

The alternative for them may not be so "good" either.

I find that "incredibly emotional", and not in a saccharin virtue-signalling way.

G Sweeney, Glasgow.