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Pam, John and Sebastian are talking to us from New York. Pam tells us that the first plane flew over her head, she became very ill from chemical poisoning living in downtown Manhattan. She spent the past 2 years going in and out of a program in Manhattan that is treating 9/11 victims of chemical exposure.

John doesn't believe there were really 19 hijackers who flew those planes, he is very sceptical of the official explanation of what actually happened that day.

David lost his brother in the North Tower, he is also Director of 'September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows'. He is speaking to us from the 15th floor of Columbia University, where you could see the towers collapse very clearly. It has been a very emotional day. His group was formed after seeing people around the world, including the Arab world holding candlelit vigils in support of the victims. He feels that the US response could and should have been smarter, and one that doesn't kill thousands.

Youssra is in Baghdad, unsurprisingly took a different line: 9/11 seems very far from the everyday problems they have in Iraq. They have their own priorities.

Kiru in Jamaica

My dad and several relatives live and work in Manhattan, luckily there were all fine. However I have lost sympathy for the U.S

The conversation has moved on to foreign policy, which one of our callers described as a referendum on Bush's policy abroad. Tahir in Afghanistan has also joined our conversation. He says he was happy when 9/11 happened as it meant the Taleban would be ousted from power, but also felt sorry for victims in US. But insecurity has now increased.

After the news, our New Yorkers are discussing the site of the World Trade Centre and what would be an appropriate memorial. Shoud something be built there now, or should the ground remain level so that people can visit the emptiness as a reminder? Pam says that, on a practical level, radiation there is just too high.

David - Ukraine

We hear no comment on the design problems of the twin towers which collapsed like a house of cards.

David is keen to extend his memorials to all of the people who have suffered as a result of this all over the world. We have taken calls from Switzerland and the Netherlands, which led onto a discussion about the phone records of the day - should we be able to hear them? David thinks you remain stuck in anger before you can move into grief. And America remains stuck in anger still, which is not healthy.

Uziel in Mauritius

3000 killed in 9/11. Hundreds of thousands killed in the American led invasion, many of them innocents.

Beverley in US

September 11th is a very important date, not primarily because planes crashed into buildings, but because that's when Gandhi started his nonviolence mission 100 years ago. I can't help wondering: What would happen if, when "9-11" was mentioned, most people thought of "Gandhi" and "Truth Force" (Satyagraha, Gandhi's central practice) instead of "Trade Towers" and "Terrorism"?

Steve in Utah

It does not bother me that nothing has been built yet at Ground Zero. I did not make it to New York City until 2003 or 2004 to see the scene for myself; I'm glad that I could see the site. The country has needed time to digest this event, and the lack of construction at Ground Zero has helped this and does not connote any kind of lack of action.

Ashley

I am frustrated that we haven't made... tangible progress after 9/11. Not necessarily the fact that we haven't rebuilt over ground zero since I feel that that area has a huge amount of emotion tied to it and should be handled delicately, but the fact that it seems to me that the Bush administration USES that emotion to catalyst anything they want to do. A new legislation? Tie it to 9/11 and homeland security. Play on the people's emotions.

Yun Yi Goh

I think one of the saddest thing to note, 5 years later, is the lack of love, not from the rest of the world, but among fellow Americans. What happened to the unity of the country and its people? Lately you see people on the street fighting with one another and normal everyday Americans picking fights for no reason, with children in tow, it doesn't matter. Americans have just gone back to their regular lives, being rude to one another and caring only about themselves.

Juliana in Cleveland

We are so far from the reality of the terror that affects so many lives and as humanitarians, I hope we can take this day to reflect on all of those innocent lives around the world that have been taken unjustly.

Skip in Ohio

American is defending democracy world wide. Some want to call this an atrocity, which is shocking to me. I suppose if you support the terrorist goals. If Iraq wants freedom then the people need to quit supporting the vicious attacks on their countrymen and starting supporting the coalition goals. Afghanistan would be great if the society would step up and become civilized.

Summer in US

For much of the world it is 9/11 everyday. The loss of life from that day is a drop in the bucket compared to the devastation we have caused in Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Korea, Vietnam, Panama, Nicaragua and Iraq (10 years of sanctions and 5 years of war). Certainly the loss of any life is terrible, but to act as if these attacks were unprovoked is nonsense and to believe that only more loss of life will make it better is a disgrace to those who died for our countries sins.

We move on to reaction to news from the Palestinian Territories today that the militant group Hamas - which won the latest elections - and its rival Fatah organisation are to form a government of national unity. The hope is that this will lead to Western donors ending their boycott of the Palestinian authority, something they've been doing in protest at the refusal of Hamas to recognise Israel...

So another false dawn, or a move of genuine importance?

Bassam and Hatem spoke to us from Gaza and Randa from Nablus in the West Bank. Bassam wishes that this had happened 5 months ago, and saved everyone a lot of trouble. The question of whether this new government will recognise Israel, a key to releasing desperately needed funds, has come up. All agree that this is unfair, since Israel does not recognise the Palestinian right to a state. Randa wants to know why Hamas, democratically elected by the Palestinian people, is not being recognised?

Anon

About america I can understand but as an europeen I'm aschamed of the blackmail against palestina. When will israel accept the right of palestine to exist?

Michael

As far as I am concerned, no Western government should provide any aid, as long as Hamas does not change its charter and agrees to clear the streets of terrorists...The choice must be extremely simple: "choose terrorism and you will not receive any help, quit encouraging terrorism and you will be rewarded."

Daniel Freedman

So one terrorist group, Hamas, forming a unity government with the leader of another terrorist group, is meant to convince who of what exactly?

Posted by The Iraq Solidarity Campaign

Far from resolving anything, the removal of the government would only deepen the divisions in Gaza and the West Bank, setting the stage for a possible eruption of open civil war.

Tony Sayegh writes on palestinianpundit.blogspot.com

With a war criminal such as Blair cheerleading for such a "unity government," count me as one Palestinian strongly against such "national unity."