Palestinian Arabs live in West Bank, Gaza and Israel; their population in the three regions is almost the same. Arabs live in peace in West Bank and Israel while Gaza suffers violence. Why this difference? Arabs in West Bank and Israel have accepted practical peace, while those of Gaza are aiming for ideal peace. Practical peace is achievable at any moment, whereas ideal peace is precisely that: an ideal. If you accept the status quo, you get peace instantly. That's practical peace. If you want ideal peace, you will have to change the status quo, so there is confrontation. The defeated party seeks revenge, and this sets off a series of wars, leading to a cycle of revenge with no end in sight. This is what is happening in Gaza.

According to the law of nature, only two options are available: accept practical peace and establish normalcy, or pursue ideal peace and face constant violence. Here is an example from early Islam. The Prophet started his mission in 610 CE. Arabs, then tribals, were in constant conflict, and they turned hostile to the Prophet, leading to an 18 year war. Then the Prophet adopted unilateral peace, accepting the conditions of the other party by signing the Hudaybiyyah Agreement, bringing peace, throwing open opportunities that enabled Islam to easily spread throughout Arabia. This was practical peace. The Hudaybiyyah Agreement shows that unilateral peace is not about losing, but is about gaining.

Similarly, when Mongols destroyed the Abbasid Empire, the demoralised Muslims were not in a position to fight. So, they accepted the status quo and within 50 years history changed. About this Philip Hitti has said: “The religion of Muslims conquered where their arms had failed.“ Acceptance of reality is the key to success.