Hope in the Mid East

There have been two isolated events that have given me cause for hope.
The New York Times delivered the first. It was news of an Islamic group seeking “common ground” with Christians. The common ground articulated by the Islamic group was the Love of God and the Love of Neighbor. The best part of the news was the positive Christian response. I encourage all readers to search out the following web sites for more information. The Islamic web site is http://www.acommonword.com/. The Christian response can be found at http://www.yale.edu/faith/abou-commonword.htm. Both are well worth reading and having some hope about.
The current conference in Annapolis concerning statehood for Palestine and the recognition of Israel in the Middle East give me my second reason for hope. We have had conferences before. President Carter and President Clinton each made valiant attempts. This conference comes at a time when all parties must see that the only way out of the many problems in the Mid East must start with freedom for the Palestinians. It is lead behind the scenes by the able Tony Blair who has made this effort his life’s mission. President Bush has given his support because he knows it’s his last chance at a positive presidency.
We can only hope that all parties can find some common ground in each of these efforts as our future may depend on it.