Israel goes its own illegal way with settlements

78abe5d7d2188210VgnVCM200000e66411acRCRDapproved/thenational/Articles/Migration/2009-Q2Israel goes its own illegal way with settlements68abe5d7d2188210VgnVCM200000e66411ac____Israel goes its own illegal way with settlements

"Nobody so far has mentioned that the "natural growth" could be settled in the sparsely populated Israeli Negev district."

In reference to Israel shrugs off US call to halt settlements (May 28), "normal life", in the words of the Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev, means for Israel the occupation should go on indefinitely because the so-called final status negotiations so far have not led anywhere, if you remember the Annapolis charade which lasted for one year with no positive result. Nobody so far has mentioned that the "natural growth" could be settled in the sparsely populated Israeli Negev district. The Israeli civilian and military settlements in the occupied West Bank are a big concern because the US, Germany, France, Italy etc have been calling them illegal for 40 years now but they have not taken any political or financial actions to discourage Israel. Ricardo Kolbe, Germany Concerning the article Chain stores defend their big markups on imports (May 30), it's about time stores start reconsidering the high prices that they are charging. I am putting off purchases until I go to the UK or Malta because I feel ripped off here. It would be good to look at food prices too - like biscuits charged at triple the UK price as you will find in many chains here. Mariella Gatt, Dubai How about a campaign to deliver bottled water to all the current locations where labourers are working? This could be funded by the water bottling companies as well as the Ministry of Health. A vehicle should be decorated (advertisement at its finest) so that it is very recognisable and would drive from project to project delivering chilled bottled water. Perhaps the water company could also sell bottles in stores such as Carrefour that advertise and offer a certain percentage of each bottle sold to go towards the " Keep 'em cool" campaign designed to help labourers stay hydrated, improve safety on the job site as well as improve the quality of construction. I'm a paramedic from the US and know what heat stroke does to a person and how it can lead to death. Let's become the Hydration Nation! Melanie Lefebvre, Al Ain The labourers could be moved to cooler and more comfortable accommodation. They certainly deserve more pay for working in the extreme heat. It may not be possible to start work earlier but it would be a good idea. A long break in the middle of the day would help too. Robyn Lewis, New Zealand In reference to Rasha Elass's Marriage guidance on offer in shopping malls (May 26), we need to look into the core problem that is resulting in divorce. Is it the culture and religion? Or is it the absence of both? I am of the opinion that it is the latter. If people followed their religion and respected and lived according to their culture, then that gives a whole dictionary on how to tackle and solve such issues. But people don't in today's society. Moreover, if you look at global statistics, wherever there is the influence of western culture, divorce rates have risen. Rather than focusing on marriage counselling (a short term solution), we need a long-term sustainable solution. As the saying goes, prevention is better than cure. Hassan Ali, Dubai This has reference to a report that four Indian students were attacked in Australia, including a student, Shravan Kumar, who is battling for his life in hospital. Apparently, the students were attacked with screwdrivers while they were partying over the weekend. One of the students, Srinivas, reported the attackers abused them and said they should go back to India. He also reported that police had asked them to take care of their own security and even said that they "can't go on protecting each and every one". The attitude of the police in abdicating responsibility is incomprehensible. Another student, who lost an eye in these attacks, reported that medical attention to him was delayed for almost six hours. Such racially motivated attacks reflect very poorly on Australia and need to be dealt with strongly. I am sure Australian students would not like reciprocal hospitality in the countries they study in. Indian students need to strongly reconsider the sense in going to Australia for higher studies in view of rampant racism. These students are not studying free or on charity. They spend anywhere from $30,000 to $50,000 per annum for studies, which benefits the Australian universities and economy. In view of the threat to life and limb, these students are better off spending their money to study elsewhere, including the UAE. Why study in a country which instead of being grateful for the foreign exchange they earn is beating them savagely? Rajendra K Aneja, Dubai

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