Extremists on both sides fuel the Middle East conflict

From Mrs Anna Rist Sir, David Twiston-Davies' statement "Israel exists today because, in each of the major conflicts since 1948, Israeli arms have proved to be dominant" (Comment, Oct. 26) calls for comment.
In the first place, Israel exists because in 1947, two years after the end of World War II, the United Nations authorised a Jewish homeland in the then British Mandate of Palestine, home to a mixed and already antagonistic population of Jews and Arabs.
At the same time, the UN authorised an Arab entity, but this was rejected in favour of a pan-Arab assault on the new Israel — which at this point survived not because of superior arms but superior conviction and courage. After Hitler, Jews had had enough.
The Yom Kippur War of 1973 saw, as one pincer of the Arab attack, history's biggest ever tank offensive, by the Syrians into northern Israel, turned back after desperate
Israeli defence and heavy casualties. This lost Syria the Golan Heights, strategic for the harassment of the Galilee area of Israel.
If you cannot conquer, you may subvert. Now the cry is raised for a "right to return" for descendants of Palestinians, many of whom quit their homes to link with the invading forces or in expectation of their success.
In my view, Israel has been unwise in failing to distinguish between Christian and Muslim Palestinians, and to encourage and support the former. But then Christian Palestinians have identified themselves with the Muslim majority. Their numerous recent emigrants should be encouraged to return to a future Palestinian state, if indeed, the opportunity for that has not passed.
For what we need to have clear before us is that at this point there are two hidden agendas, subscribed to by increasing numbers on each side. We have only to look at that fateful stroll upon the
Temple Mount by Ariel Sharon, who knew well what he was doing because he knew the opposition. Sure enough, the response was violently renewed intifada – as was desired by both extremes.
It was desired by Sharon's supporters because it could be exploited to further their aim of engrossing the whole territory of the Biblical Eretz Israel. It was favoured by the more jihad -inclined of the Palestinians because their aim is the annihilation of Israel, seen as a Western bridgehead upon an historically Islamic terrain. It is insufficiently understood in the West that the Dar-al-Islant, lands where Islam has once held sway, remains forever Islamic, pending the Islamisation of the rest of the world. A crucial difference between the founder of Christianity and the founder of Islam is that Mohammed was .a warrior.
Yours faithfully, ANNA R1ST Rome