Peace, that oft elusive thing!

In truth, since 1948 there has been little peace in my ancestral homeland of Israel. We greet each other and say goodbye with a single word 'Shalom' - peace!

Of course, although war may not be raging, the aftermath is pain and heartbreak, so to offer the word, and greeting 'Shalom' is an especial wish.

Among Muslims, there is a mirrored beauty of sentiment offered in 'salam', which is Arabic for peace.

If only the Holy Land that the three religions descendant from the Patriarch Abraham, that special one for Hashem, through whom all will be blessed on the Earth, could be immersed in peace rather than the argument that is war, the injustices be erased from the human family experience.

I wish shalom to all, even those in Gaza who in their hearts see Hamas as representative of their struggle. I do earnestly believe, just as Chairman Arafat could hold out his hand to Premier Rabin, in the search for peace, I hope good hearted Muslims and Zionists alike can not just aspire to the paradise of peace, but be calmed, and seek peace more readily than they seek war.