President Bush implied today that there is a difference between al-Qaida terrorism and Palestinian terrorism. He's right. The former is a nihilistic approach that has no real political demands�other than some sweeping notion that the United States should get out of the world. Palestinian terrorism, on the other hand, is rooted in a political struggle. Even Sharon agrees that there's something to negotiate about. Indeed, even he says that Palestinians should have their own state. The Palestinians are using utterly repugnant means, but they are rooted in political demands that even their occupier agrees are legitimate.


Fareed Zakaria

The essential ingredient to informed and honest debate about the middle east has to be explicit acknowledgement of BOTh these truths. 1. There is a LEGITIMATE grievance that the Palestinians are willing to die for - they aren't the same as al-Qaeda. 2. Violence is the wrong approach and is morally wrong. You can qualify that last one by jutifying violance against an occupier (ie, soldiers, checkpoints, possibly settlements, but NOT against Israel proper and civilan areas).

When both sides sit down with these principles stamped across the foreheads, maybe the process can actually suceed.