The recent furore over the anti-Jewish remarks by our outgoing prime minister underscores the fact that most Malaysians, even seasoned and well-traveled politicians, have little knowledge of the Jewish people and their way of life, except what is often portrayed by the local media as a tribe of Muslim-hating, high-tech, militant people with an undeclared (but well-acknowledged) nuclear programme and a recurrent habit of assassinating women, children and innocent bystanders who happen to be around the neighbourhood of "terrorists".

Years and years of isolation and martyrdom of scores of young people had not yielded any change to the status of Israel (perhaps it did - the world finally seemed to acknowledged the existence of Israel as a state in the past few UN declarations.

By "status", I am referring to Israel reverting back to a non-state and something before that). It had rather deepened the enmity between the Islamic nations and the Jewish nation, as well as its supporters. In the meantime, Israel has prospered while the surrounding Islamic nations have become nations blessed with lots of oil and impotent anger.

Perhaps it is time for a radical change of approach for a self-proclaimed moderate Islamic nations such as Malaysia. Malaysia cannot change what is happening in the Middle East directly, but perhaps it can change its own approach towards Israel economically, and politically.

This change by a small nation may change how the Muslim world perceives Israel, and how Israel perceives the Muslim world. The potential result of an engagement policy towards Israel is great and definitely justifies a try. It may be unthinkable how the Muslim population of Malaysia, ideologically 'raped' by PAS and also ideologically 'sodomised' by the incessant propaganda against the Jews, can accept such a course of action.

With BN's history of successfully bulldozing unpopular course of actions (but in hindsight, they may had been the most beneficial to the nation, from a long-term view of things) through the parliament, it may yet bring about a radical way of breaking the current impasse faced by the Muslim world. Is it not said that "the best way to destroy our enemies is to turn them to friends" (other than blowing them out of existence)?

Malaysia has been a friendly nation, despite the occasional biadap (rude) outbursts by our politicians, and this has been proven by her economic and diplomatic track record (except towards Singapore and, occasionally, the US. But then, we enjoyed complaining about them anyway, to take out the fun would be tantamount to silencing and bankrupting the kopitiams ).

With the recent deterioration of world events, a new course of action is pressed upon every good nation to do their best for a better future. Perhaps the time has finally come for us to 'liquid paper' the sixth line on the second page of our passports.