The successful mediation between the Hamas and Fatah, the two feuding factions of the Palestinians, by King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia can be described as a master stroke of diplomacy which would go a long way in helping the Palestinians struggle for liberation and restoration of their homeland.

The initiative of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques not only saved the lives of many Muslims which were being lost at the hands of fellow Muslims in the bloody fighting between the two Palestinian factions, but it also nipped in the bud the conspiracy of Israel and its mentors to keep the Palestinians divided and weak. The crowning success of Saudi diplomacy has been formation of the Hamas-Fatah unity government at a time when there was talk of collapse of the Palestinian government and call for another election in the territory, at the behest of Israel and the western powers who want to keep the Hamas out of power with the two major factions at each other throats.

The unity government has frustrated the designs of the enemies and strengthened the resolve of the Palestinians in particular and of the Muslim Ummah as a whole, to wrest the Arab lands including al-Quds from the Zionists.

The next step now should be a united struggle by the Muslim Ummah to force Israel to vacate all the Arab and Palestinian lands occupied by it in 1967 war, in accordance with the UN resolutions so as to pave the way for negotiations for an overall settlement for a lasting peace in the Middle East.

As a first condition for any talks, Israel should be asked to stop its atrocities and military raids in Gaza and other Palestinian territories. It should be borne in mind by the Arabs and the rest of the Muslim Ummah that any signs of conflict or difference of opinion at this moment would jeopardize the gains made through the Saudi diplomacy.

The Muslim and Arab countries should stand united at this juncture of .history which can turn out to be a defining moment for the future. The fact that the initiative for the current move came from a moderate country like Saudi Arabia is a guarantee of its success provided the Muslim world keeps united and supports the Palestinians struggle. Israel and its western supporters should be made to realize that Israeli withdrawal to pre-1967 borders and restoration of al-Quds is the minimum demand on which there can be no compromise.

It may be emphasized here that with no end to the Iraq imbroglio in sight and the continuing Israeli atrocities on the Palestinians, the need for a fresh effort for settlement of the Middle East crisis has become paramount. It may also be pointed out that, the Quartet and the United States have failed to deliver on their much publicized road map to peace. Indeed, the entire process which had started after the Madrid Conference is on the verge of total failure.

The situation in the Middle East has become explosive as never before. It is high time that the Arabs and the Muslim world make a strong and united bid for revival of the peace process. The west, particularly the United States, must also realize that the Israeli atrocities and denial of their rights to the Palestinians cannot go on for ever. A just solution of the Palestine problem with return of all the Arab and Palestinian lands including the al-Quds and restitution of the right of the Palestinians for repatriation to their homeland is long overdue without which there can be no peace in the Middle East.

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