ABSTRACT
September 11 had an immediate and profound impact on the Palestinian leadership, which at once grasped the dangers of being identified in any way with what commentators were calling within hours 'a new Pearl Harbour'. The relationship between September 11 and the Arab/Israeli conflict is at the centre of controversy; with pro-Arab and liberal commentators arguing that the West's complicity in the tragedy of the Palestinians has fuelled the rise in Islamic terror pitted against pro-US/Israeli analysts. For Muslims throughout the world there is no more emotive issue than Palestine. For people on both sides of the argument, the Israel/Palestine conflict exercises unique pull, for no other cause is so ideological and on so many levels. Over the past year, the Palestinian groups have targeted the International Court of Justice (IDF) and settlers less and less and focused on attacking Israeli civilians within the Green Line.
