“There is a tendency to see religion as part of the problem and, therefore, to have nothing to do with it… They say you religious people keep away, you only make problems and mess things up,” said Rabbi David Rosen, president of the Jerusalem-based International Jewish Committee on Interreligious Consultations, the umbrella organization that represents Jews in their relations with other religions.

Ain't THAT the truth! The mayor of Haifa said in the middle of bombings that the key to his city's internal peace was its secular character. Religion is continuously being painted as part of the problem by secular pundits on the left and right alike.

In an interview a few weeks ago with the Australian ABC, Rabbi Rosen said regarding coexistence:

Well, let me give you an example. We brought together the heads of the religious communities in the holy land in Alexandria a couple of years ago, and this was thanks to the initiative of the then archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Kerry, ensuing a very important declaration, signed by all three communities condemning violence in the name of religion and the desecration of religion...the leaders of the Muslim community, the chief rabbis, the patriarchs of the Holy Land.

And even though its significance was limited because violence continued at the time, it was the beginning of some very important spin-offs. We've had now two world congresses of Imams and rabbis, in which sheikhs and rabbis are the vast majority of whom are never met a member of another faith, have come together.

I think that's done a great deal to overcome stigmas and prejudices. Of course, it's only a drop in the ocean, but it's a very significant beginning of one.

But something that's happened of more significance in terms of the local context as a result of the Alexandria meeting is the establishment of a Council of the Religious Institutes of the Holy Land, that bring together the Palestinian shari'a courts, the chief rabbinate and the patriarchates in Jerusalem.

I don't believe for the reasons I explained that religion itself can bring about a breakthrough in this conflict, precisely because it is not independent of political structures, at least not Islam and Judaism which are the key components here, religious components.

But nevertheless, I do believe that if political initiatives, which have to be of ... which are of course the key, take place without the religious dimension, they will not have the psycho-spiritual glue to hold together.

This is something I have been advocating for quite some time. Seeking a commonality through halacha and shari'a (and Canon Law) by which all parties can coexist with resorting to think tanks and alternatives which attempt to de-spiritualize the Holy Land. Many organizations attempt to create a secular identity for those involved as if to say, "let go of the Jewish/Islamic baggage and move on to our progressive ideal."

But, as Rabbi Rosen alluded to, any of those plans are destined to eventually disintegrate as they do not take into account the deeply spiritual nature of the region. By affirming our connections to G-d and text, we affirm the connection to the words IN those texts and to the worldview that emanates from them.

By doing such -- without prejudice but with the only goal of increasing Divinity in the world -- one moves closer to peace faster than a Katyusha.