http://www.jihadwatch.org/2010/11/spencer-obamas-religion-of-peace-polic...

Robert Spencer writes:
Obama's commitment to the idea that Islam is a religion of peace that has been distorted by a few extremists is rock-solid and unshakeable, and so it is important to note some of the policy errors that flow from it and will continue to do so:

1. The pressuring of Israel. The Palestinian conflict against Israel is, at its foundation, an Islamic jihad; if it weren't, it would have ended long ago. There have been innumerable attempts at a negotiated settlement, and each one has failed because of Palestinian intransigence, which is founded in the idea that land ruled at any time by Muslims belongs by right to Muslims forever, and non-Muslims (particularly Jews, the worst enemies of the Muslims according to Qur'an 5:82) have no right to establish a state on such land.

This is why no Palestinian faction has ever recognized Israel, despite numerous promises to do so, and why Obama's attempt to hammer out yet another negotiated settlement is doomed to fail, like all of its predecessors, to bring about anything resembling a lasting peace. Obama is assuming, because Islam is a peaceful religion that has been distorted by "a few extremists," that the vast majority of Palestinians want "peace and justice, and fairness and tolerance" for themselves and for the Israelis. This misapprehension ensures that his peace initiatives are foredoomed.