BBC NEWS | Middle East | Jordan king in Palestinian plea

BBC NEWS | Middle East | Jordan king in Palestinian plea

Here we have an oft considered U.S. ally suggesting that Israel is responsible for the tragic situation in which the Palestinians find themselves. Let's be very clear about this. Israel's right to exist in the land they now occupy has biblical roots. The Palestinians do not accept the fact that they were defeated in biblical times nor in the 1967 war which was initiated by the Muslims bordering Israel.

Furthermore, the United Nations in 1948 determined that Israel be granted a homeland following the Holocaust and the genocide of SIX MILLION Jews, not by Arabs or Muslims, but by Hitler and his "Aryan" cronies.

If Israel is legitimately present on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea (I believe they have an absolute right to exist as a people of God and that this geography is the place where they ought to be.), for the leader of Jordan to suggest that Israel is responsible for the plight of the Palestinians is at best a half truth.

Why does he not publicly recognize that the Palestinians have shown themselves incapable of rational relationships with Israel or unwilling/unable to unite their warring factions?

He talks of peace, that perpetually illusory condition of the Middle East. He had best assist the Palestinians to be rational members of the world community first. Peace may be universally hoped for in this region, but it is impossible without Palestinians universally deciding that they will recognize Israel's right to exist and move beyond hatred and revenge.

I believe firmly that Israel has a right to defend itself and cannot be held responsible for the Gaza mess. They chose to remove themselves from that territory and the result has been chaos as Hamas, Fatah and other groups have clearly demonstrated they are incapable of governing themselves. Israel was wise to leave Gaza. Doing so enabled the world to see that Palestinians are (so far) incapable of unity.

Jordan's King Abdullah would better use his energies to unite the Palestinians rather that think about 'life after peace.' I doubt we will ever see peace in the Middle East because there are spiritual as well as societal forces that suggest it is not in God's plan.