Political landscape of Middle East is a very complex one to say the least and often misinterpreted by politicians of the Western hemisphere.
It is a strange world in which religion is never completely divided from the affairs of state, a place of double policies; one that tickles the ears of the powerful and more militarily advanced West, and that which actually dictates how things will be done.
This is also the case with Palestinian Authority and its perpetual conflict with Israel.
In the root of this lies a belief that God has rejected the nation of Israel for its rebellion against Him and now the followers of Islam are the chosen ones that are superior to people of other faiths, on basis of their obedience to Allah according to The Holy Quran which makes them also obliged to fight against those who believe not until the latter are converted. (Sura 9:29)
Now while most Muslims in the world do not hold as radical views but live in peace and mutual respect with people of other creeds; those who are in authority do and they are the ones who make decisions. To them the State of Israel is undesirable misfit forced upon them by Europe and now other like-minded powers with America as their leader which they want to resist at any cost.
That is why any show of power by Israel is cried against as an atrocity committed by the one who is strong against disproportionately weak and every compromise taken as a victory of the resistance.
The road map to peace consists of many compromises in exchange for permanent peace but past history of such attempts suggests that if indeed peace is achieved, it will not last very long and will be followed by even grater aggression.
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in the latest interview he has given to Peter Mans bridge of CBC expressed his hope that the moderate forces in Islamic world will prevail over fundamentalists and make it possible.
That Saudi Arabia in a face of threat against orthodox Islam from Shiite Iran would lean towards Israel and The West but it sounds just too good to come true. In my opinion the history and the Bible always have the upper hand in predicting the future and if I am right, Israel has to brace itself for the toughest threat to their existence ever.
