NPR.org, May 16, 2009 · Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Obama hold their first meeting at the White House on Monday, and though some Israeli and U.S. analysts fear the two new leaders are on a collision course, there may also be new room for agreement.

Is peace in the Middle East really difficult to acheive? I don't think so. As I state in The Provocative Qur'an:

"...we need not open our hearts to others merely to appear good to ourselves; in the Reality of things, helping others provides us with real self-benefit. People who are arrogant toward others receive no kindness in response; those who comfort others receive comfort in return; the great nations of the past, whether Greek or Persian, who trampled over others, were ultimately themselves trampled over. On the other hand, we receive a fulfilling happiness when we serve someone, whether it is our child who has been hurt or a customer upset over an item of merchandise. Finally, why should we try to bring peace to the rival clans in Sudan or to the adversaries in the Holy Land? Simply put, it is the capacity to bring about peace which brings out the best in us."

Once political leaders put mutual Self-building as their highest priority they will find friends instead of adversaries. Peace, then, isn't a difficult proposition.