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as espoused by the Abrahamic religions. If one looks at ancient history, you find in the hieroglyphs in Egypt stories of war and conquest over the Middle East. If you check out the cuniform tablets, you see the same thing, as Ur, then Babylon, then Persia all ruled the area we now know as the Middle East. The Caananites who prayed to Baal and Inana and Alut fought just as hard and with just as much hate as the Jews and Muslims do today.
Perhaps what one should look at is how the concept of God and human conduct has evolved over the millenia. Some may say it hasn't--but there are groups that are working towards peace and understanding, both in Israel and the Muslim countries that surround it.
The prophets that have come to spread the message of Peace and Understanding have always said the same thing - do unto others as you would have them do unto you. The problem is that prophets die or leave, and those who come after them twist the message for their own ends. But there are those Jews, Christians, and Muslims who are working towards not only peace but towards a different God concept, one in which all see God as not different, not seperate, but one with everything. This concept is one that mystics from all spiritual traditions agree upon, and perhaps could be the basis for reconciliation between all believers. That is the first step. The second is to find a way to reprogram the violent heritage of the area, which appears to have become almost genetically imprinted on many who live in the Middle East.
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