Today, not one week passes without news of another hurdle in the on-going struggle for peace in the region. Both the Israelis and the Palestinians blame the other side for the continuation of this crisis, but they are both to blame for the enduring strife in the region. Behind the political conflict first Israel's struggle for independence and now Palestine's lies what Karl Marx called the "opium of the masses," religion.
             In this paper, I will discuss what I consider to be the four most important components of this conflict, as it applies to establishing a peaceful solution. These four components are history, political and non-violent struggles, international involvement, and what lies ahead in the near future. The long-standing clash between Israel and the Palestinian nation has often been and continues to be bloody. Yet, both nations have recently realized that the world order is changing, and that the most likely chance for peace is a political compromise with the establishment of a self-ruled Palestinian state.
             Many people look to the creation of the state of Israel in 1948 as the beginning of the Middle East conflict between Palestine and Israel, but the origins of this conflict are much older. Israel's claim to its modern-day territory is ascribed to biblical times. According to the Old Testament, God promised Abraham to deliver his chosen people to the Land of Canaan (Genesis 12:7). He fulfilled his covenant when he directed Moses to free the Jews from Egypt and return them again to Canaan (Exodus3: 8). Later, the Jews were exiled from the Promised Land in the Jewish Diaspora. When the Persians conquered the Middle East in 323 BC, they allowed the Jews to return to their homeland and practice their religion. This continued until 70 AD, when the Romans destroyed the temple in Jerusalem and once again exiled the Jews.
             The Palestinian's claim to the land is simpler than Israel&apos...