The Middle East is a region dominated by autocratic rule and military dictatorship. It is a region where Muslims struggle for many of the basic rights Americans take for granted. In the absence of any viable alternative, a growing number of Muslims are turning to extremist groups in hopes of improving their situation. While it is true the U.S. fueled the growth of these groups through its invasion of Iraq, nonetheless, any attempt to place Muslim hostility toward America in its full context must include the role Israeli settlement expansion has played.Over the course of the last several decades, Israel has progressively isolated itself from the international community and developed a deep dependence on the United States. This dependency has created a perception, common in the Muslim world, of Israeli settlements as the "tip of the spear" of a U.

S.-backed, Zionist expansion into Arab land. And this narrative has created sympathy and support among Muslims, induced conflict with the most religiously-devout segment of Islam, and become one of the main propaganda tools of Muslim extremist groups. Further inflaming this situation is Israel's growing religious right population. Because the larger this community has become, the more political influence they've obtained, the more Israeli settlements have been intensified. The continued growth of Israel's religious right simply amounts to a simultaneous rise in the number of Israelis backing a religiously-inspired expansion into land that has significance to millions of Muslims around the world. If Israel continues on its current trajectory, the sense of common mission that has bound the U.S.

and Israel together is placed at risk, as American leadership will be forced to ask if the relationship is advancing or undercutting American security interests. Especially in light of the growing threat of Islamic terrorism in the U.S. and Europe.