Practical Option for Palestinians

whenever one receives justice, it is the result of one’s hard work—whether acting as an individual or as a group. Prophet Muhammad provides a clear historical example of this in his method of negotiating the Hudaybiyya peace treaty. By the grace of God, I have travelled to Palestine three times: in August 1995, in October 1997, and then again in October 2008. These visits allowed me to observe Palestine firsthand. Moreover, I have met many Palestinian Muslims in and outside Delhi and familiarized myself with their situation by reading several authoritative books on Palestine. In my experience, I can say that the Palestinians are a vibrant people with excellent physical and intellectual potential. This is natural, for they have been brought up in a geographical region that the Quran (17:1) describes as having been ‘blessed’ by the Almighty. The Palestinians, endowed with exceptional natural qualities, can undertake significant tasks, but tragically, it has not been possible for them to realize their potential. The principal reason for this tragedy is that their leaders have launched them on the path of violence and hatred. They have wrongly come to regard the land they are struggling for as of the most significant importance and are sacrificing their lives to acquire it. They are unaware that the life of a Palestinian is a thousand times more precious than the land they have been making futile efforts to achieve for so