Something strange happened over the weekend, and I am still trying to figure it all out.

In a meeting with his Russian counterpart, Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz chastised Moscow for legitimizing Hamas by inviting leaders of the terror group to talks in the Russian capital later this month.

Since Hamas’ overwhelming victory in last month’s Palestinian elections, Israel has been trying to build an informal international coalition against dealing with the Hamas-led Palestinian government currently in formation.

As one of the key members of the Quartet, Russia’s decision to deal directly with Hamas is of course a blow to Israel’s efforts (so much for reaping diplomatic gains from the Gaza withdrawal….).

In any event – here is the part that is confusing: It was 13 years ago that Israel’s government legitimized Yasser Arafat and the PLO, conferring recognition on the terrorist group and saving it from collapse. This was done despite the great damage it caused, and continues to cause, to the Jewish people and the Land of Israel.

Indeed, up until the present moment, the Government continues to recognize the Palestinian Authority, despite its active participation and involvement in anti-Israel terror (including last Thursday’s incident at the Erez crossing, where terrorists sought to kill Israeli soldiers).

Given that’s the case, how does Mr. Mofaz expect to convince the Russians to avoid dealing with one group of Palestinian terrorists, when Israel is openly dealing with another? Doesn't he realize the inherent absurdity of his position?

Obviously not.

Don't get me wrong – there is no excuse for the Russian stance vis-a-vis Hamas, which is both immoral and short-sighted, and is clearly aimed at undermining the US and Israel’s position.

But there is no doubt that if the government’s policy was based on moral clarity, rather than mulish pragmatism, its message abroad would resonate more convincingly.

That, at least, one would hope, Mr. Mofaz should be able to grasp.

She may be attractive, articulate and intelligent, but don’t let that fool you into thinking that Condoleezza Rice is a friend of Israel.

The US Secretary of State in recent weeks has engineered yet another major Israeli concession, compelling the Jewish state to allow Palestinians in eastern Jerusalem to take part in the upcoming Palestinian Authority (PA) elections.

Despite months of insisting that it would not back down on the issue, Israel has done precisely that, with Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert now planning to get the cabinet to approve the move at its weekly session on Sunday.

This is far more than just a question of procedural issues – it undercuts Israel’s sovereignty in its own capital, and reinforces ties between the city’s Palestinians and the PA.

Allowing Jerusalem Palestinians to take part sends a message that a foreign entity – namely, the PA – is the ultimate political authority to whom the city’s Arab residents must turn.

And that, of course, is precisely what the Palestinian leadership would like to see happen.

By twisting Israel’s arm on this issue at a time when the country’s Prime Minister lies in a hospital bed fighting for his life, Condoleezza Rice has demonstrated a startling lack of decency and humanity.

And by undermining Israel’s position on Jerusalem, and giving the Palestinians a huge political victory, Rice has shown where her sympathies truly lie.

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While everyone has been focused, and rightly so, on the danger that a nuclear Iran would pose to the future of Israel and the West, there is another side effect of the international community's ongoing inaction that has been largely overlooked.

And that is the arms race that will inevitably result throughout the Persian Gulf, and the entire Middle East, should Tehran be allowed to obtain nuclear weapons.

Indeed, the first signs of it have already begun to appear.

Just yesterday, at a meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council in Riyadh, six Arab states - Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates – all declared that they too now have atomic ambitions, and would like to obtain the technology necessary to start producing nuclear energy.

Of course, they were quick to insist that it would be for "peaceful purposes" only, but no one can really take this claim very seriously.

Why the sudden interest in nuclear research? Well, it really isn't too hard to guess the answer: all six of the countries involved live within range of Iran, which is busily speeding forward with impunity towards joining the nuclear club.

In other words, by allowing Iran to go nuclear, the world is setting the stage for a mad arms race throughout the entire region, as country after country seeks to protect itself from the threat posed by atomic ayatollahs.

It should be clear what this would mean – not only for the safety and security of Israel, but for that of the entire Western world.

Just one more reason why it is time for the US and/or Israel to bomb Iran, sooner rather than later…..

It is hard to believe, let alone understand, but five years after September 11, there are still too many people who just don't get it.

Israel and the West are under assault. Our values, our beliefs, our entire way of life are at stake. Everything we hold dear – faith, family, country – must be defended.

These aren't just some melodramatic words or a bit of empty posturing – they are cold, hard facts. And as difficult as they may be for many of us to accept, accept them we must, because the alternative is extinction.

Today, and for many days to come, I'm afraid, you'll see plenty of opinion pieces and newspaper articles pointing the finger of blame not at the bad guys who perpetrate the violence, but at those who seek to defend themselves and the rest of us from harm.

For example, a professor at New York University has the audacity to write in today's Jerusalem Post that "Bush's policies have brought greater damage to America than the attacks themselves." What sheer and utter gibberish.

But let's not allow the weak-kneed among us to divert our attention from what we all know must be achieved: victory. And nothing less.

May the memory of those who were murdered on September 11, 2001 be for a blessing.

Americans and their allies today received a jolting and unpleasant reminder that the war on terror is far from over.

The arrest in Britain of two dozen Islamist terrorists who were plotting to blow up as many as 10 planes sent shudders of fear across the Atlantic, demonstrating once again that the threat posed by Al-Qaeda and its sympathizers remains frighteningly real.

But even as the West breathes a collective sigh of relief that the scheme was thwarted in time, Israeli troops continue to battle Hizbullah terrorists in southern Lebanon, risking their lives on the front lines in defense of freedom and civilization.

And make no mistake – regardless of the theological differences that may exist between the fanatics of Al-Qaeda and Hizbullah, the two terror groups are united in their aim of destroying not only Israel, but America too.

Had the nefarious plot to blow up the planes succeeded, you can be sure that Hizbullah would have cheered the results, just as the followers of Osama Bin-Laden undoubtedly applaud each and every Hizbullah rocket fired against the Jewish state.

The fighting in Lebanon, then, is not just Israel's war, but America and Britain's war, too. It is part and parcel of the global war against Islamic fundamentalist terror – so instead of pressuring Israel to call off its counter-terror campaign, anyone who values liberty should be speaking out in defense of the Jewish state and encouraging it to carry on until victory – and nothing short of victory – is achieved.