RIYADH/JEDDAH , 5 April — US President George Bush’s decision to dispatch Secretary of State Colin Powell to the Middle East and his call on Israel to stop incursions into Palestinian-controlled territories was seen more as a public relations exercise than as a serious attempt to halt Israeli aggression against the Palestinians.

Saudis as well as Arab and other expatriates, contacted by Arab News, said the visit of Powell should have been scheduled soon after the outbreak of hostilities. His appeal to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to halt violence and come back to the negotiating table also lacks the force of conviction that one would have expected from the US president, especially when Israel, its protege, has been guilty of heinous crimes against humanity.

A marketing executive in Jeddah, KA, reacted strongly to Bush’s speech saying, “What he’s offering the Palestinians is too little, too late. He’s dangling one carrot while smiting them with five sticks. The Bush administration should realize that the Palestinians will settle for nothing less than full rights and freedom, release of all prisoners, especially the young children who are being held and tortured in jails, and full compensation from the United States which is Israel’s prime supporter in terms of aid and military equipment.”

Dr. Saleh I. Al-Babear, assistant secretary-general of the World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY) and editor in chief of Muslim Youth, said the US is not an honest broker. “If President Bush had been serious, he could have asked Ariel Sharon to get his troops out of Palestine. The main obstacle in the settlement of the Palestine-Israeli conflict is the US itself.”

The US, he pointed out, is very quick to condemn the Arabs, but adopts a different posture when it comes to dealing with the Israelis. Calling on the Palestinians not to engage in resistance against Israeli occupation is unfair on the part of the US president. Resistance against Israeli atrocities has become a strategic choice for the Palestinians. The savagery of the enemy is what, in fact, determines the level of resistance, he said.

“Non-violence has great chances of success in parts of the world where human rights are treasured and an individual is valued and revered. But in the land occupied by Israel, where homes are bombarded and bulldozed, demanding non-violent option to halt the advancing tanks is a ridiculous suggestion.”

“What Bush should have done is to force Israel to withdraw from all the occupied territories in Palestine forthwith. Only such a move could bring about peace in the region,” Mujahid Mohammed, 50, an Egyptian hospital administrator in Jeddah, said.

“The need of the hour is to bring Israelis to their knees and if Bush had to sound credible he should see that cease-fire is brought about and respected, especially by Israel,” he added.

Hashim Ahmed Ibrahim, 35, a Lebanese executive in an automobile dealership in Jeddah, said: “Aside from seeking Israeli withdrawal forthwith, Bush should see that the peace initiative of Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard, is implemented. The crown prince’s proposal could bring about lasting peace to the whole region.”

Dr. Muhammad Munnajid, 45, a Syrian physician, felt that Palestinians were freedom fighters and Bush was only misleading the world opinion by calling them terrorists. “He’s also trying to mislead the world by asking Iran, Iraq and Syria to refrain from their interference in Palestine. There is no question of interference by any Arab or Muslim state. The battle is being fought by freedom-seeking Palestinians themselves,” he said.

Abdullah Mohammed, an academician in Riyadh, said it was strange that President Bush should be calling on the Arab states, especially Israel’s neighbors, to show their desire for peace. He said the Arab peace initiative adopted at the Beirut summit and its rejection by Israel demonstrate clearly which side is interested in peace.

“It is doubtful if President Bush is seriously committed to peace within the framework of Security Council resolutions 1402, 338 and 242, as they are not perceived to be in Israel’s interest. By repeatedly toeing the Israeli line and asking Arafat to do more, when he is under virtual house arrest, Bush has ceased to be an honest broker in the Middle East peace process,” Abdullah observed.