Sometimes you feel amazed seeing how your enemy behaves and acts and you wish you could do the same. When Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon addressed the recent Aqaba summit, he stressed that as prime minister of Israel, which he considers the historical home of the Jewish people, his first priority was to ensure security for the people and state of Israel.
I wished that the same position had been taken by Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, King Abdallah of Jordan and, before that, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak when he read out the statement issued by the leaders attending the Sharm El-Sheikh summit.
Who will belittle a leader who makes it clear that his main responsibility is the security and safety of his people and his country? Isn’t this the natural thing expected of leaders?
People, especially Arabs, glorify power and praise the courage and valor of their ancestors. They struggle to live in dignity and honor. Why then do their leaders deny them such privileges?
Maybe it is because the leaders know very well that anything said must be followed by an action whose strength must match the spoken words. Strong actions have long been absent because countries involved themselves in endless disputes, differences and political biddings. This is why no matter how keen and dedicated, it always takes two hands to clap.
The Palestinians and Arabs have suffered for more than half a century now as a result of everyone’s using the Palestinian cause to further their own agenda. Arab leaders, governments and organizations as well as Palestinian officials and organizations have all manipulated the cause to further their own interests. No one wanted to see the problem being resolved because this would have meant ending the benefits, gains and influence they enjoyed over the years. If the file were closed forever, then there would be no valid justification for them to pursue the same manipulative policies.
The world has changed a great deal and is no longer as it used to be. Many flash points keep emerging in this or that part of the world, all carrying the seeds of their own continuity, as does the Palestinian cause. Countries and governments watch as their places in world affairs dwindle and their influence and strength wane with the United States emerging as the sole dominant power. It is a power that feels it has the right to do what it wants, regardless of whether what is good or bad and whether others like it or not. In such a situation it is not advisable to confront America by conventional means.
With the Arab and Muslim nation further distancing itself from the path of God, it has now found itself occupied by internal disputes and thus allowing other powers to control its fate. This further weakens the nation, making it unable to stand up to its enemies. Arab leaders at Sharm El Sheikh acted like people desperate to catch the last available opportunity. They were following the principle that if you can’t get what you want, you can at least hope for what you want to happen.
It may be all right for Arab countries and the Palestinian National Authority to agree to Washington’s plans for resolving the Middle East conflict and Washington’s description of the Palestinian struggle as a form of terrorism. This may be justified by arguing that those leaders want to test Israel’s intentions to prove that it was Israel who represents the real obstacle to peace. We may also assume that America is acting as intermediary and not enemy and it would be better if we worked to expose our enemy and make America see Israel’s real face and recognize who is telling the truth and who is lying. But do we have to swallow poison and to endure continuous suffering just to prove to others that our enemy is wrong?
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(Muhammad Al-Shibani is a Saudi writer based in Jeddah.)
