Turmoil lies ahead

US policies towards Arab and Muslim nations are endangering international peace, spreading fanaticism and terror, eroding economic progress, threatening political stability and ripping apart the very fabric of society in these countries.

At this rate, revolutions and political turmoil lie ahead in much of the Arab and Islamic world. The massive explosion that ripped apart a diplomatic vehicle in Gaza on Wednesday killing three Americans and wounding another was a warning shot. Palestine and Iraq have become breeding grounds for acts of utter despair. Desperation leads to new dangers.

The Gaza blast came just hours after the US vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution condemning Israel's controversial construction of a so-called security wall in the occupied territories. The draft, introduced by Arab states, declared that the wall was illegal under international law and that construction must be halted.

The frustrations and anger of Muslims around the world were palpable as delegates at the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) summit meeting in the new Malaysian capital Putrajaya complained that in Kashmir, Chechnya, Palestine and Iraq, Muslim people and territories are occupied, sanctioned, threatened and accused of sponsoring terror.

This atmosphere of despair and despondency in the Arab and Islamic world should not be permitted to linger long. It will only create more trouble, more tension, and threaten international peace and political stability in the region.

The US must seriously re-examine its policy towards the Arab and Islamic worlds. Washington cannot continue to be seen as blindly and unequivocally supportive of Israel. Israel cannot be protected at all costs even when it deliberately derails the peace process. The cycle of violence and counter- violence, revenge and vicious reprisals must be stopped, and this will not happen unless the US adopts a more even- handed policy vis-à-vis the Middle East.