I fully support the struggle of the Palestinians, Muslims and Christians alike, against militant and right-wing Zionism and its terroristic manifestation.

To oppose Zionism should not be equated to anti-Jewry. While all Zionists are Jews, not all Jews subscribe to Zionism, let alone terroristic Zionism. Lest we forget, there are many Palestinians who are also Christian.

For these beliefs, I fully support both Umno and Barisan Alternatif's positions on the current situation in the Middle East. While there may be security for Israel, there must also be justice for the Palestinians.

However, I find it misleading for Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar to suggest that Malaysia might be invited to send peace-keeping forces to the Middle East. He is either ignorant of the conventions of international peace-keeping, or purposely misleading Muslims to try to fish votes.

For any peace-keeping forces operating under the banner of the United Nations to enter into any disputed territory or territory where disputes are to be arbitrated or mediated, approval by all warring nations, states, peoples or armed units must be given. In the case of the Middle East, it means both the State of Israel and the Palestinian Authority must agree to allow Malaysian, or any other countries' peace-keping forces to enter and to operate.

I really do not think Israel would agree to Malaysia, UK or US as peace-keeper, given our strongly anti-Israel policies and rhetoric. Similarly, the Palestinian Authority would most likely not allow Singapore to send its peace-keeping troops because of the island republics strong pro-Israel stand since 1965. Malaysia, Singapore, US and UK must not entertain any false hopes of being approved by both sides to be peace-keepers.

The most likely peace-keepers would come from African and Latin American countries, India and China because they have less emotional and political affinities to either side. They can be expected to be more impartial in keeping both sides apart.

It is for this psychological reason that Malaysia was not allowed to play any major role in the peace-keeping mission in East Timor because Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad was pro-Suharto, and our armed forces are predominantly Muslims like the Indonesian armed forces, while the majority East Timor people and their independence fighters are Catholics. Thus, Australians and Thais were given leading roles.