As Israeli troops rampage with homicidal determination through the West Bank, what, the world asks, is Sharon’s objective? Does he see this as some sort of solution or is he merely out for revenge?
There are many, among them the noted New York-based organization Human Rights Watch, who are convinced that the Israelis are intent purely on punishment and that Sharon has lost the plot: he talks about “fighting terrorism” but he does not know how to stop the bombers, and so he reacts not with the brain but with uncontrolled, furious emotion.
If the Israelis are out merely for punishment and revenge, it will only trigger more violence. It will simply create more nightmares for both them and the Palestinians. Both will end up in a swamp of anger and hate and revenge, with no way out. But the notion that the Israelis are reacting with bind, brainless fury is less horrifying than the idea that Sharon has a solution in mind. For if he does, it looks all too chillingly like a “final solution”: the permanent eradication, one way or another, of the Palestinians as a threat to Israel.
The use of such a charged expression is fully justified. There is no doubt now that behind Sharon’s aggression is a deep hatred of the Palestinians and a desire to crush them mercilessly. It is telling that the main piece of weaponry in the Israeli onslaught is not the tank but the bulldozer. The aim is to wipe Palestinian communities off the face of the map.
The irony of Israeli soldiers spreading death and destruction in Palestinian towns and villages, just like jackbooted Nazi storm troopers, is evident to anyone with an ounce of intelligence. But whether or not Sharon’s violence has an objective, it is painfully evident that he feels he has a free hand. The US has gone along with his brainless action, in no small part because of a chilling indifference across much of the US to the suffering of Palestinians. American public opinion, which can move mountains when activated, is not interested. Had it been, Secretary of State Colin Powell’s peace mission would have achieved something.
America, which alone has the power to restrain the Israelis, claims to operate according to moral precepts, that it believes in justice. Well that does not seem the case from this part of the world. It clearly practices the highest double standard when it comes to Israelis and Palestinians. That is why there is such anti-American feeling through the Arab and Muslim worlds. If George Bush seriously hopes to change that, he has to put an end to the policy of double standard. He sees Israel as a friend: fine — but real friendship does not mean standing by doing nothing when a friend is in the wrong. Real friendship means telling him the truth. President Bush should perhaps heed the advice of the Prophet contained in one hadith: when he said that one had to help one’s brother whether he is committing injustice or receiving it. Those to whom he spoke were puzzled; they knew how to support someone on the receiving end of injustice. But how can he be supported if he is doing injustice, they asked. “By restraining him,” the prophet replied.
If the US had restrained the Israelis a year ago, things would not have ended up as they have.
