International lawyers who are generally critical of the settlements, and even the PLO, have conceded that some of the settlements are built on land that was privately purchased by Jews before Israel was established and to which the current occupants have full and proper title.

Politicians, lawyers and others are entitled to their opinions about the legality or illegality of the settlements, but should not be presenting their views as incontrovertible truths.

There has never been a legally binding determination of the issue by the International Court of Justice or any other court.

Further, Carr’s opinion is at odds with the common view that the major settlement blocs will become a part of Israel in any peace deal, in return for equivalent land within pre-1967 Israel that will become part of a state of Palestine.

The debate about the legality or illegality of the settlements will therefore not decide the issue. Peter Wertheim, Executive director, Executive Council of Australian Jewry, Sydney

WE are in Bob Carr’s debt for his challenging views about the settlements. All credit to the Israelis for their infrastructure and other achievements, including their new light rail system in Jerusalem.

But the spread of the settlements on the heights alongside the road to Nablus deep in the West Bank is a matter of sadness.

If politicians from both sides would become as even-handed as the former foreign minister, there would be hope, based on justice, for both peoples.