The New Nation - Internet Edition

Former British prime minister Tony Blair who is now working as the international community's envoy on the Middle East peace process has urged President-elect Barack Obama to make the Middle East peace process a priority.

He is reported to have said negotiations between Israel and Palestine required the "energy, commitment and dedication" of the new American president. Blair said the expectations of Obama were "immense".

Blair said, "I personally think that, even more so than I did when I was prime minister, that the single most important thing for relations in the Middle Eastt is to get the Israeli-Palestinian conflict resolved."

The former British Prime Minister is in the Middle East Quartet that comprises the European Union, Russia, the United Nations and the United States. Mr Blair also said he was "totally committed" to his role as mediator and would carry on until the situation was resolved.

The realisation of the former staunch ally of outgoing US President George W Bush in the two wars on Afghanistan and Iraq, lately though, may be taken by many not without a grain of salt, but Blair has hit the crux of the problem. His arguments probably need to be expanded further.

The hawks, it is by now clear, not only did start an unjust war way back in 2003, they lied also to fool the people. They knew there were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq but the country was invaded, according to many, to reduce threats to the security of Israel and secure control over its oil resources.

Weary of the simultaneous wars the world is being told that the outgoing president of the mightiest nation on earth has been encouraging Israel to attack Iran as his last act of pro-war legacy.

Military commanders of the coalition forces in Afghanistan have of late started emphasising the need for dialogue with the leaders of the Taliban. Caught in a quagmire they have the impression that the war there has been an endless exercise. Their thoughts possibly can be taken further to ponder over a crucial question, as to whether a dialogue with the Al-Qaeda should also be mooted to end the hostilities.

The crisis in the Middle East and policy of war to deal with the naked help for Israel must be ended through diplomacy and dialogue. Muslims are anti-American, but they are against senseless state terrorism and degrading humiliation being inflicted upon Palestinians.

President Bush's used the fear of Al-Quaeda as an easy way to distract American people's attention from his failed presidency.

In the words of Mr. Blair, resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the single most important thing for peace in the region. He should have realised by now that by unconditionally supporting Israel and its excesses against the Palestinians and its neighbours the Western powers have alienated not only the Arabs but also the Muslims in the rest of the world.

If the western powers now seriously address the key problem, the Al-Qaeda or other militant outfits would find little justification to continue their armed struggle. A first step towards this would be to end the Israeli excesses against the Palestinians and help the creation of an independent and sovereign Palestine state by restricting Israel to the territories it held prior to the 1967 Arab-Israel War.

Let President elect Barack Obama's policy of dialogue and diplomacy be pursued and he will find Muslims have resorted to terrorism out of anger and frustration in the face of US's all out support for state terrorism against Muslims anywhere and everywhere.