"Regarding the American Jewish community: they are the most successful and powerful community in Jewish history, but they will forever feel vulnerable - as if the Holocaust may happen again any day. Fear drives all this community's actions regarding Israel. A Jewish peace activist recently wrote about how in many congregations, the people are afraid of speaking out because of their right-wing rabbi, and the same rabbi is afraid to speak out because of his right-wing congregation. In many ways, it is the Jewish spokespeople confronting you who are doubly out of touch – from the Jewish public's true opinions, and surely from Israeli and Palestinian reality. So be patient with them, but don't let them force their fears upon you."

"To hell with peace. We want to claim victory, no matter how many people die."

"...there is very little doubt that the establishment of diplomatic relations by Syria – and other Arab countries – with Israel, and the suppression of Islamic groups will engulf the entire region, let alone Syria and Lebanon, in violence."

That hardship was as great as the repression itself. The sanctions wiped out the middle class and infrastructure, yet, there is no visceral hatred among Iraqis. What strikes me most about them is their resilience. After the repression, sanctions, civil war, I’m amazed that Iraqis get through to the next day. Remember, Lebanon came back from civil war.

-- Anthony Shadid

"Am I not destroying my enemies while I make friends of them?"

"The world we live in contains societies with all kinds of beliefs: Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu, atheist, deist and even pagan. Muslims living in such a world must be tolerant of all beliefs they come up against, no matter what they may be, and behave forgivingly, justly and humanely."

"When a person has a heart attack and calls for an ambulance, he may have to meet the ambulance at a checkpoint; or if the ambulance travels to retrieve him, Israeli soldiers decide whether they will allow the ambulance to pass through the checkpoints."

"Even the most outstanding genius has not yet invented a unilateral peace. Peace is a tango - it takes two to perform. Two who respect each other."