WAR: Abbas Makes Peace Gesture to Israel

Newly elected Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas made his first gesture to the state of Israel today, and it was a message of peace. Stating that the Palestinians were ready for peace based on justice he hoped that the Israeli response would be positive. While welcoming his election, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, stated that he will be keeping an eye on how Abbas deals with the militant.

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It is good to see that the rest of the world has been quick to offer support to Abbas in hopes that he can achieve what was once impossible under Arafat: Relative peace in the region. I do not envy his task. Extremists’s on both sides of the issue have no vested interest in peace and will fight to keep the status quo. I is my devout hope that security around Abbas remains tight for everybody’s sake.

Remember me talking about extreme elements with no desire for peace

This is sheer politics at work again. My uynderstanding is that the Israelis have basically agreed to most demands made by the Palestinians under Arafat, still they refuse to have peace. I feel that there must be some unseen hands of a 3rd party, manipulating the peace process and trying to keep "an eye for and eye" alive. Anyone have any ideas just who this 3rd party may be ?

I've seen some strange and terrible things in my life, and as such, I pray and long for a true non-violent peace between Palestine and Israel. The problem is that what my heart desires, my gut contradicts. My gut stipulates that there will never be a true non-violent peace, as long as Israel continues to exist or until Israel is 'accepted' or militant extremism in the region is nullified. Furthermore, though I hope I am wrong on this, my gut goes one step further and asserts that even if and when Palestine becomes a state, the violence will continue. Until the "ultimate goal" of the destruction of Israel is abandoned within the militant Islamic fundementalist groups and terrorist cells, there will always be some degree of unabated violence in this region.

I hope Abbas's intentions are sincere, as I hope Israel's are. The violence has been going on for so long, that many simply accept it as a way of thinking, believing, and living. Until this changes, I foresee violence as a never ending process towards an unobtainable goal.



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