The only radical solution to extinguish the flames of war, conflict and exchanged violence in the Middle East is to right the wrong, or rather to erase the sin which represents the foundation upon which the state of Israel was created since Day One of its presence in the region; An out-of-place body which is a blend of statehood, ideology and an armed-to-the-hilt military camp. Israel is a country that stands on the alert ready to use its military machine, strengthened by the fact that alone amongst its neighbors it is the sole possessor of weapons of mass destruction, weapons which it can use as needed.
There is one matter of which it can be certain, however, namely that the conventional weapons it possesses will not help solve existing disputes with its neighbors. The international community is required to adopt incisive resolutions to change Israel's nature, bringing it more towards the world's political and cultural mainstream; indeed it is urged to bring this oddity of a state to be internationally accepted as a sovereign, independent state enjoying friendly relations with its neighbors and committed to the rulings of international law. Barring this, whether it likes to or not, and backed or not by the US or any other international force, Israel will still be that strange isolated island, whose people live amidst a sea of endless hatred; its neighbors unwilling to co-exist peacefully with it or achieve real peace and stability in the region.
Dr. Ahmad Aul-Magd
Al Ahram