Normally, I don't respond to criticism on the letters page. People are entitled to their say and I have my own platform here every week. But Derek O'Flynn, a press officer at the Israeli embassy in Dublin, poses a direct question to me today. And as we are never likely to share a pint, I'm replying here.

Do I know, he wonders, that Hamas is a terrorist organisation? I am, of course, aware that this is how Hamas is designated by most Western governments, although
I am equally aware
that they are the democratically elected government of Palestine.
I also know that terrorist organisations often thrive in areas that have been subject to the kind of inhumane and brutal treatment Israel metes out to Gaza (pictured above) on a daily basis and I believe that self-styled civilised nations such as Israel have a duty to behave in a mature manner. When they lose all sense of humanity and self-control, as O'Flynn's people did in Gaza last month, it's worth drawing attention to.