There was more to Crown Prince Abdullah’s visit to President Bush’s ranch in Texas than a discussion of the Palestinian crisis. But for the world beyond the Kingdom, Israel’s war of terror against the Palestinian people was what the talks were all about. The fervent hope was that the visit would galvanize the Bush administration into effective action to rein in the Israelis and force them to embrace the peace process.
Neither has happened despite the fact that, ostensibly, the Kingdom and the US are on the same side of the fence. The Americans repeatedly praise the Saudi initiative and say that it is the basis for a settlement. While the crown prince was at the ranch, Bush called on Israel to withdraw from Palestinian areas and end the standoffs in Ramallah and Bethlehem.
But there is a yawning chasm between rhetoric and action. The words sound fine but where are the warnings of action if the Israelis do not heed the demands? Bush merely urges the Israelis to withdraw. It is very different from the language he uses toward the Palestinians. It is such double standard and bias that have made the US the target of Arab anger.
The cause is not malevolence; it is ignorance. The US government and American public opinion are brainwashed when it comes to the Israelis and Palestinians. The fact that Bush could describe Sharon as “a man of peace” — a claim so staggering that it would have had the rest of the world convulsed with laughter at such crass stupidity were it not for the horror of events — clearly denotes a warped understanding of Sharon and his actions in the West Bank.
Bush is not alone in turning the truth on its head. Most Americans think the same way. They look at the Palestinians and see terrorists; at the Israelis and see only victims. It is as if Israel’s own paranoia has infected America. There is no logical, rational thought process taking place.
Americans’ dire lack of information, augmented by an abundance of disinformation, is to blame. US opinion responds to sound bites and TV news pictures of events. In the present crisis, because the Israeli military machine has successfully limited the international media’s access to the West Bank, very little of the horror and reality of the situation has reached American eyes and ears. It has had the results wanted by Ariel Sharon. Americans are not motivated by the suffering of the Palestinians. They are not aware and not interested. Nor, in turn, is Capitol Hill, the White House or any other center of American power or influence.
The US’ standing in the Arab world has never been lower, yet the Kingdom remains a friend. One of the roles of a true friend is to point out the errors of a person’s ways and to advise him how he can change. The Kingdom must continue to use the ear it has in Washington to change the US mindset and to work with determination toward a peace based on the Saudi initiative. There is no alternative. Certainly, there is no other workable initiative on offer.
It is only Washington that has the clout to translate that inittiative into reality. So long as it does not show the vision and courage to do that, the inferno will continue to rage.
