Conservatives and religious fundamentalists on both sides, including the Jewish religious right, Hamas, and Hezbollah, will try to make this agreement fail. They fear the peace plan because it will dramatically alter their belief system. No longer will th ere be an evil force for them to defeat. No longer will they have an enemy to liberate from their land. They would only have neighbors to live in peace with.
Some people only know how to live in a state of war.
We can trace this innate human tendency to maintain the status quo to religious extremism. Whether it is a Ayatollah Khomeini, David Koresh, or a member of the Jewish religious right, all extremists share some striking similarities. They are the biggest challenge to the peace process because it alters the status quo. Thankfully, most people in the region are not extremists. Young Jewish men and women do not want to fight wars.