IT has been obvious for weeks that the unbridled tension between Israel and the Palestinians was heading for catastrophe.

It is astounding that President Bush has waited until catastrophe is almost upon us before taking decisive action to attempt to pull back the warring parties from the brink.

We sincerely hope the dispatch of his Secretary of State to the Middle East does not come past the point of no return.

Neither Israel's military muscle nor Palestinian terrorism can force a credible solution to the crisis.

Political dialogue is the only means to a workable and satisfactory settlement.

But dialogue can not begin in the current climate. Yasser Arafat will not agree to any negotiations while his authority is undermined and his administration under siege.

And Ariel Sharon will not negotiate until the threat of terrorist outrages are lifted from his people.

The first task for Colin Powell must be to bring an end to the cycle of violence to allow initial discussions to get under way.

The two pre-requisites of long-term peace have to be the creation of a viable Palestinian state and a guarantee of the security of Israel within the region.

The scale of the task facing Colin Powell is immense, but the sooner he makes a start the better.

THE constant pressure on the NHS to deliver a better service brings into question the wisdom of the thinking which created the chaos at Bishop Auckland General Hospital yesterday.

Surely the time of highly-trained and dedicated staff can be better used than queuing for car parking permits.

It is difficult not to conclude with the verdict of one healthcare professional who described the exercise as a total farce and a complete waste of NHS time.

Surely we can expect managers, charged with the massive logistical task of running a hospital, to sort out parking problems efficiently and without any impact on the services to patients.