"Arabs are not Westerners?" No kiddin"....

What I find most amusing in Dana's response to my post is its title: "What our liberal friends simply don't realize: the Arabs are not Westerners and don't think like Western liberals."

No kiddin'Dana...:-) Actually, what you still fail to grasp is that they don't think as Westerners. Period.

I've made that point over and over and over again during our chats, for roughly ten years. That you would choose my words in a belated recognition of the importance that taking foreign customs and cultures into consideration when preparing for war, is indeed encouraging.

Unfortunately,your "fearless leaders" in the White House and their neoconservative cohorts are still living under the delusion that this bloody conflict can be resolved militarily given that they are seemingly convinced that a "surge" in U.S. troops will accomplish what has not been accomplished during the past three years.

After nine months of study, the Baker-Hamilton Iraq Study Group had reached a rational conclusion, namely, that it was time for Iraqis to complete the task in what had clearly become a civil war with U.S. troops playing the role of "referees."

However, all indications are that their suggestions will be summarily rejected and that hawkish neoconservatives will gain the upper hand, once again, as more U.S. "referees" are introduced into Iraq to be shot at from all sides.

As for the never-ending Israeli-Palestinian saga, it will continue to provoke resentment and hatred in the region unless it is resolved given that the daily humiliation of Palestinians is seen by Arabs/Muslims as the humiliation of them all.

Individuals who must wait for hours at roadblocks, a wall that cuts through their lands, thousands of prisoners in Israeli jails, monies owed them and not delivered and on and on and on.

For a Jewish theocracy to be accepted and flourish in the Arab/Muslim world, the establishment of a viable Palestinian state with E. Jerusalem as its capital is a must, regardless of what Christian evangelicals such as Dana may have in mind regarding "God's Chosen People's" role in the upcoming Apocalypse followed by the "Second Coming."

That Arabs/Muslims harbor resentment toward Jewish Israelis is understandable given that they see the eviction of Palestinians from their homes as punishment for a crime they did not commit, namely, the Holocaust.

If I were evicted from my home and shoved into a refugee camp to make room for, say, Muslims, I would feel the same resentment and hatred.

The question then becomes: Why is that so difficult to understand?

If I were Prime Minister of Israel, I would order all roadblocks removed immediately as well as the settlements that stand in the way of a viable Palestinian state. Jewish occupants would have a choice of moving to Israel proper or to another country of their choice at government expense.

Once Palestinians can see a true light at the end of the tunnel, as opposed to never-ending talk, the great majority of them would turn against the extremists among them and peaceful coexistence would -- finally -- erupt.

Given Israeli expertise in many fields, close cooperation with Palestinians would transform both nations into the center of a flourishing region. Nations that comprise the Arab League would recognize Israel diplomatically and a whole continent would open its doors to trade and investments.

What I would suggest is: TRY IT...you may indeed LIKE IT!