Gaza withdrawal: Lama Hourani

The BBC News website and BBCArabic.com spoke to four Israelis and four Palestinians for their thoughts after Israel completed its withdrawal of settlers from Gaza and some parts of the West Bank.

MEET THE PANEL Name:Lama Hourani Age:41 Lives:Gaza City, Gaza Works:NGO worker

We are happy the pullout has ended, but the Israeli army is still here, they are still building the wall in the West Bank, there is still confiscation of land.

On the ground here it is even worse; every night it is difficult to get through the checkpoints and hard to move in terms of going from north to south.

For Sharon, this is the final status. He will not give any more land and he is through with giving concessions.

GAZA PANEL: FINAL REACTION Hakeem Abu Samra Lama Hourani Ashraf Abualarab Abdullah Algazawi Ayelet Goldman Shimon Klein Anita Tucker Arlene Kushner

It will take a real Israeli will for peace. There is an elected Palestinian lest leadership, around 80 percent of Palestinians are for peaceful negotiations with the Israelis. By voting for Abbas they chose the path of negotiations.

However, the Israelis are still building new settlements and confiscating land, still putting up blockades and still arresting people.

They think by isolating us they will solve the security problem. We are being pushed into a corner and creating a new generation who will have no hope and who will turn to violence to protect their homes.

The militants are trying to convince people that they liberated the country, but while most people are happy to see the settlers gone, they are not happy to see others thinking the pullout is because of successful military action.

Some don't see it as a success of all the sacrifices we made and the resistance of all kinds that were used.

Also, it's in Israeli interests to leave. Sharon wanted to gain something politically by leaving.

He wanted to show he was a man of peace. And all the settlers crying and resisting, I can never sympathise, you know a lot of it is just for show.

My personal future is uncertain. I have a West Bank identity card and I don't know legally how everything will work.

In Gaza most people are hoping to have a better economic situation, but there are still no firm agreements on border issues, on the movement of goods and people and all other issues necessary for economic development.

I am also worried about the future concerning the state we are looking for. We are concerned for our families in the West Bank. We are really concerned about the building of the wall.

I am not very optimistic. It seems our destiny is not to be happy. But I suppose everything has to come step by step.

We recognise Israel as a state, now give us our state.

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