Middle East Peace Unattainable

By Douglas V. Gibbs

Peace is not possible in the Middle East because of Islam. Between the Muslim refusal to recognize Israel, to the bickering between the various Islamic States, to the insane laws and local decisions by Islamic leaders, the reality of it all is that Muhammadism has doomed the followers of Islam to a life of war and death.

Afghanistan and Pakistan

Along the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan the rockets and heavy artillery are a way of life. Problem is, Pakistani ordinance is finding its way into Afghanistan, and Afghan defense officials have warned Pakistan on Sunday to stop firing rockets and heavy artillery into the northeast corner of Afghanistan, or a forceful military response may be necessary.

Pakistan denied responsibility.

The area in question is home to a number of insurgent groups fighting in both countries. The cross border fighting, and Afghanistan's sour reaction to it, reveals the less than cooperative attitudes the two countries have with each other.

Violence in Yemen

The United Nations Security Council has released a press statement on the situation in Yemen. The statement was issued by Nawaf Salam, Lebanon's ambassador to the UN and the current president of the Security Council.

In view of the heightened tensions and continuing violence in Yemen, the members of the Security Council urged all sides, in the period after President Saleh’s return to Yemen on 23 September 2011, to reject violence, including against peaceful and unarmed civilians, and show maximum restraint. They called on all parties to move forward urgently in an inclusive, orderly and Yemeni-led process of political transition, on the basis of the Gulf Cooperation Council initiative, that meets the needs and aspirations of the Yemeni people for change. They also called upon all the parties to respect their obligations under applicable international law.

Palestinian Bid For Statehood Meets With Challenges

Historically, Palestinian leaders have rejected statehood, because they are against a two-state solution. They are in favor of a one-state solution, meaning the annihilation of Israel, and then the take over of the Jewish lands by the Palestinians.

As the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas calls for a "Palestinian Spring," the very survival of the Palestinian Authority is at risk. Between the opposition of Israel, and the difficulties with Hamas, the PA is also finding that the U.N. is not as willing as they first believed.

And if the bid for a Palestinian State fails, the conflict with Israel may very well worsen.

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu called it like he sees it. "They're trying to get a state to continue the conflict with Israel rather than to end it. They are trying to basically detour around peace negotiations by going to the U.N."

Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) added, "This is a very provocative, dangerous step by the Palestinians. It will not lead to peace, it will lead to instability. And it will push us back home in a bipartisan fashion to speak out."

"It will risk U.N. support by the American Congress. If (the Palestinians) go down the road of forming a government with Hamas, Fatah and Hamas government, Hamas is a terrorist organization, that will end U.S. help to the Palestinian people," Graham added.

Mass Grave Found in Tripoli

A mass grave has been uncovered in Tripoli which authorities there say contains the bodies of more than 1,270 people.

It is believed the bodies are from the 1996 massacre at the Abu Salim prison.

The uprising that toppled Gaddafi was ignited by protests linked to the Abu Salim massacre.

Saudi Women Gain Right To Vote. . . But They Still Can't Drive

In Saudi Arabia King Abdullah has decided to allow women to vote and run as candidates in local elections.

"We refuse to marginalize the role of women in Saudi society and in every aspect, within the rules of Sharia," Abdullah said, referring to the Islamic law that governs many aspects of life in the kingdom.

King Abdullah is considered a reformer, and the oil wealth combined with generous government handouts have protected Saudi Arabia from the unrest around the rest of the Muslim nations.

What few rumblings of discontent that have appeared have been largely centered on the eastern oil-producing region populated by the country's Shiite Muslim minority.

Knowing that King Abdullah wishes to not participate with the unrest that has been stirring in other Muslim nations, the women of Saudi Arabia have seized the opportunity, and have also staged public defiance of the kingdom's ban on female driving.

The sexes in Saudi Arabia also continue to be segregated in public.

The allowance of women voting is King Abdullah's way of quelling unrest before it rises. In the end, Saudi Arabia will be seen as the outsider, and the other Muslim nations may very well turn on Saudi Arabia.

-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary