Israel intends that all land west of the Jordan River will be incorporated into the State of Israel. Establishing settlements in the occupied territories is the primary strategy. The use of military force is the primary means. The outraged Palestinian's claims of ownership are ignored. There is a tacit assumption that if enough time passes, the older generations will die off, and then the ownership of the land can no longer be vigorously contested. It is unlikely this strategy will succeed, and the present trend is toward more international support for the Palestinian cause.

America has a population that is slow to anger, and even slower to admit fault. Stupidly, no one in America can see any connection between the two bombings of the World Trade Center (1993 and 2001) and the events now occurring in Palestine. This inability to connect the dots means that there is to be no change in the American view of their expanding role in the world. The American attitude is, "We won the Cold War and we are going to enjoy the spoils of victory. Don't get in our way; we might hurt you."

The Israeli's have convinced the US that they are the defenders of democracy in the Middle East, and that without them American interests in the region are exposed to jeopardy. America cannot see that just the opposite is true. Israeli policy puts American interests in jeopardy. The Americans could not admit this when it was pointed out to them earlier, and they cannot accept the truth of it even now, when the facts stare right into their eyes. One must conclude that the bond is too strong to be broken, and both must inexorably follow the present path of war to the end, teeth clenched, rifles clutched in a death grip. It appears to be a long and unpleasant journey, and many young men will die needlessly, as the British Rangers are discovering in Afghanistan.

There are only two important factors in the war on terrorism. One is Israel's intrusion into Palestine (with US aid) and the other is OIL. The US believes that both of these white water rapids can be traversed successfully, using a strategy of military suppression and economic manipulation. This approach has been successful for five decades. There are, however, new obstacles, which increase the difficulty. What was merely complex before has become impossibly unwieldy, and no one can predict how the world will look three years from now.

Israel has made it clear they recognise no friends or allies, and that they consider their "struggle for homeland" sufficiently righteous to outrage everyone by the tank-led conduct of their territorial and cultural villainy. If the US suffers serious damage as a result of the foreign aid and defense posture, Israel considers that a small price to pay if Israel itself survives. Should the US collapse along with Israel, everyone in Israel will be too busy to notice, and there will be no regret. If the world enters a deep depression because of America's blindness to Israel's greed, the Israeli's will only shrug, denying any responsibility. One wonders at what point the American public will stop to re-appraise the sincerity and value of Israeli friendship, weighing the benefits against the enormous cost.

The US dependence on oil for energy is a point of serious weakness, as the previous Arab embargo showed. The oil dependence has increased in the intervening quarter century, in spite of expensive efforts to reduce it. The use of oil for energy is directly related to the US refusal to make an international agreement to reduce greenhouse gases. The US plans to continue in its present policy even if all the ice at the poles melts. The rest of the world is expected to stand idly by as the global climate increases to levels inimical to human habitation. The US attitude is, "We are a temperate country, and a little more heat will not hurt us."

The US attitude has become sufficiently irritating to the rest of the world that it makes enemies faster than friends. In naming one enemy, a dozen more are created. In chasing one "terrorist," a million are created. Among those seriously irritated are many of the major oil producing countries. The US considers the oil patch to always be a buyer's market, with producers competing to satisfy the demand. This is a serious miscalculation, as events are certain to develop otherwise.

Venezuela, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq and the Emirates are the major producers, and none of these countries is indifferent to the treatment of the Palestinians. The US is foolish to think these countries will produce to meet demand if they decide that a higher price promotes their interests. The US cannot command delivery of oil under threat of arms and invasion. The present world situation will not admit of that, even if the US believes otherwise.

Deft diplomacy and tangled economic enticements work well in the weakened condition of most producing countries, but the ire created by the Israeli treatment of the Palestinians has made backroom bargaining less successful than in the past. The old boy approach to oil delivery has become a tussle between right and might, with the oil producers more interested in the return of right.

Missile heads who believe the battle is between the "terrorists" and "anti-terrorists" dominate US policy. This dangerously simplistic thinking leads to greater and greater expenditure and reliance on new technological weaponry, and wholesale dependence on unethical espionage activities. For the money already allocated, everyone in Israel could have been re-settled on federal land in Arizona and New Mexico, with plenty left over to rebuild a modern Palestine.

No thought is given to eliminating the causes of the disagreement. America has never considered a position that Israel must withdraw and rebuild the destroyed Palestinian properties. There were cautions years ago that establishing settlements in the occupied zone was inviting trouble. But the unwillingness of Americans to confront the Zionist attitude in the American electorate and among the worldwide Zionist followers means that the US and Britain will continue to be targeted by the committed friends of the Palestinians.

It is important to understand that the situation is still amenable to modification, though some observers feel attitudes are already hardened beyond malleability. It is not too late to act with understanding and justice; to recognise that the Israeli attitude and action is a festering pestilence that endangers the economic stability of the world, not to mention the Western discomfort of being surrounded by unidentified and unnamed enemies determined to end innocent lives along with the sacrifice of their own.

Confrontation will not stop the bombings. Bombs are simple to make, and the materials required are cheap and readily available. Only a sincere willingness to alter offensive behaviour will be effective in creating a mood in which people will be receptive to negotiating a lasting peace. Diplomatic traveling is to no avail, so long as the threat of force is in place. America must re-think its position on landmines, greenhouse gases, the World Court, the behaviour of multi-national corporations, and especially its unconditional support for Israel.

Bush has attempted to divide the world with his "Axis of Evil," and "For us or against us." However, he fails to notice that Osama bin Laden has adopted the same approach, "Those who side with America, Britain and Israel are also our enemies." America hopes to end the war by killing Osama bin Laden. One cannot believe that the threat of terrorist activity in the West can be removed by the killing of one man; not now.