I refer to the letter Western Muslim paranoia needs introspection by Mohd Rafiz.

In the spirit of Muslim brotherhood, he is not wrong to identify the Palestinian cause to prop up his argument. In fact, I could pardon him for not mentioning the US' assistance in preventing the Muslim massacre in Bosnia.

The Palestine-Israel conflict is never a religious one, it is about nationhood. But the Palestinian authority uses Islam as a political expediency to serve Palestinian interests as well as those of the Muslim fraternity.

This conflict is not so simple as one of perceived injustice. It is more complex than one imagines and we have to go back and re-learn history to find out why and how the mess was created.

Part of the blame went to the British. After World War I, British was given the mandate to rule the region. Zionism was created to seek independence for a Jewish state. When the British abandoned the mandate, it had no clear provision for a Palestinian home state.

America was not in the picture when Israel was formed. The latter had to fend off attacks from its Arab neighbours. Only after the Six Day War, did America get into the picture.

During the Cold War, Israel was roped in as an ally to check the Soviet Union's influence. The US' foreign policy turned as the Jewish lobbyists gained powerful influence in Washington. The rest is history.

Both sides, Palestine and Israel, must share the blame for the current impasse. Part of the problem is also Yasser Arafat's intransigent attitude. He has outlived a few Israeli prime ministers and US presidents but has not achieved peace.

The most intractable problem is Jerusalem, which Arafat wants as the capital of the Palestine state. Can anybody come up with a solution? Jerusalem is divided into four quarters namely Jewish, Christian, Muslim and Armenian.

I think it's time the Organisation of Islamic Conference and the League of Arab nations take over the role of sponsoring a peace plan because the rest have failed.

I am not sure peace can be obtained in the next 50 years but I like to reflect on one historic event had it occurred. If Israel had lost and capitulated in the Six Day War would the world today be more safer and peaceful?