Mr. Sharon means well - he wants to stop terrorism - but his policies have led Palestinians to turn to Islamic extremists rather than secular nationalists.

The second main group is generally made up of secular nationalists.

Once elected, he brought the nation's secular nationalists under his big tent by choosing their leader, Megawati Sukarnoputri, as his Vice President.

Today, Islamist revolutionaries are on the rise, with most secular nationalists considered moderates.

He established it as an alternative power base in Hebron as his mayoral leadership came under increasing challenge from secular nationalists.

He sees the possibility of a grudging tolerance developing between religious and secular nationalists.

There are Islamic militants like those in Hamas and more secular nationalists like those in Fatah.

Islamic fundamentalists who reject any peace with Israel and secular nationalists who believe this particular deal makes too many concessions are determined to destroy the agreement.

He drew explicit parallels between the current political tension and the civil strife between secular nationalists and Islamic militants following the Iranian revolution in 1979.

For decades this arrangement - the secular nationalists ran the country and the ultra-Orthodox ran religion - anchored Judaism in Israel.