Today's conflict between Ishmael and Israel entails both a religious-political conflict and a secular-political conflict.

With regard to the religious-political conflict, Islam does not respect any other religious tradition, particularly the Jewish religious tradition because the Jewish religious tradition is its rival with respect to monotheism. This disrespect was true from its inception. Witness the Jews who left Moslem countries, leaving everything they had behind because life in the Moslem country was so intolerable to them. Witness the 6th-Century Bamiyan Buddhas, the two largest statues of Buddha, that were blown up by the Taliban Moslems in Afghanistan in 2001. Witness the second century Buddha in north-west Pakistan that was damaged in 2007 by pro-Taliban militants. The Buddhas were offensive to the Moslems. Witness the Moslem silence about these atrocities.

The direct conflict is between the Palestinians and Israel and entails the very existence of Israel. The religious side of this conflict can be understood from the Hamas charter which allies itself with Islam.

Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it" (The Martyr, Imam Hassan al-Banna, of blessed memory).

Jihad is its path and death for the sake of Allah is the loftiest of its wishes.

The day that enemies usurp part of Moslem land, Jihad becomes the individual duty of every Moslem. In face of the Jews' usurpation of Palestine, it is compulsory that the banner of Jihad be raised. To do this requires the diffusion of Islamic consciousness among the masses, both on the regional, Arab and Islamic levels. It is necessary to instill the spirit of Jihad in the heart of the nation so that they would confront the enemies and join the ranks of the fighters.

The Islamic Resistance Movement believes that the land of Palestine is an Islamic Waqf consecrated for future Moslem generations until Judgement Day. It, or any part of it, should not be squandered: it, or any part of it, should not be given up.

It is a national obligation to provide every Palestinian with a revolutionary Arab upbringing, and to instill in him a profound spiritual and material familiarity with his homeland and a readiness for armed struggle and for the sacrifice of his material possessions and his life, for the recovery of his homeland.

The Balfour Declaration and the Mandate Instrument, and all their consequences, are hereby declared null and void. The claim of historical or spiritual links between the Jews and Palestine is neither in conformity with historical fact nor does it satisfy the requirements for statehood. Judaism is a revealed religion; it is not a separate nationality, nor are the Jews a single people with a separate identity; they are citizens of their respective countries.

Today, the aggressive Moslem says you will die for what I believe, even if it means that I must commit suicide in the process. Thus is fulfilled the Torah's prophecy of Ishmael:

His hand would be against every man, and every man's hand against him. And over all his brothers he shall dwell. (Genesis 16:12.)