Middle East

"The lesson from Iraq is clear: the United States' staying power is waning, and the commitment to setting in place the fundamental building blocks of democracy is weak. For Syrians who hate their regime, for Egyptians who consider how to proceed in loosening their president's tight grip on power, there is a warning in the air. When the going gets tough, the Americans will waver."

"The image of Palestinians in the world was summarised by one speaker as having one of the world's most just causes represented by some of the worst defenders. An attempt to change that, even a small one as that initiated by the Palestinian Authority, can lead to significant results. The key will be in the implementation, follow up and the seriousness of the Palestinian leadership in pursuing such endeavour."

"Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, the prevailing calm and upcoming Palestinian Authority parliamentary elections all constitute opportunities to create a positive momentum. Indeed, events last week in Gaza aside, so it has proved. But this momentum is entirely dependent on two things: an Israeli willingness to abandon unilateralism; and order on the Palestinian side. Washington can play a crucial role on both issues."

"If someone believes that God exists in the sycamore tree on the village square, so what. Does it cause any harm? Belief in the importance of the game requires at least as much blind faith as the belief that God exists in that sycamore tree."

"Israel uses the wall’s construction to carve away the segment of the population they do not want within their Jewish state. Although Israel states the wall is for security purposes, maps of the wall’s construction show Israel’s confiscation of Palestinian land without the Palestinian communities. If Israel was building the wall for security purposes, then the wall would be built along the Green Line that divides Israel from the Occupied Territories. This route would be shorter, cheaper to build and more easy to patrol. However, Israel is constructing the wall to create Israeli settlement blocs by usurping as much Palestinian land as possible."

"It is in the interest of the Palestinian people to guide leaders and not self-centered organizations and personal interest."

"In the modern world of today, no economy can thrive without oil. Therefore oil became the main motivation for foreign policies of the countries of the world."

"Fasting is not simply a time during which people deprive themselves from physical pleasures, but is an occasion to exercise moral restrain and experience spiritual growth. Ramadan is a time of remembrance of God and renewal of commitment to the high and noble values he revealed to mankind. And nothing would give us the sense of spiritual fulfillment than a state of taqwq, of God-consciousness, that Ramadan helps us to realize."