The prospects of Iran acquiring a nuclear weapon has dominated the world agenda at least for the last two years. Many fear the United States or Israel, jointly or separately, may think of attacking Iran to destroy its nuclear installations and end its enrichment program. According to strategists, such attack(s) will cause much damage to the program causing its delay, but will not eliminate it altogether.
Iran for its part so far has been playing a clever game.
Meanwhile, the Arab world, particularly the Gulf states, in addition to Jordan and Egypt, are firmly inside the loop. Many of Iran’s nuclear installations are too close to the Gulf countries. This makes it entirely reasonable for the Gulf states to fear any spillover of any nuclear radiation should an accident or deliberate attack hit Iran’s nuclear sites. Iran also is not hiding its intentions to become a regional power player. Iran is said to be providing political, economic, military and financial support to Hezbollah. Many believe this enabled Hezbollah to deal a severe blow to the once “untouchable” Israeli Army in last summer’s war. The American stand in the war made it doubly difficult for US efforts to stabilize Iraq, and helped perpetuate the negative, unpleasant, even hostile American image in the Arab and Muslim world.
No one can doubt the current American administration’s dilemma. Its troops are being killed and maimed in Iraq, its image worldwide is tarnished, American efforts to impose crippling sanctions on Iran are facing great difficulties, and at the end of the day, if tougher sanctions are approved at the Security Council, the chances are they will not work. This is going to be the case because Iranians keep reiterating their nuclear program will continue, and they are willing to pay any price rather than succumb to what they view as an infringement on their sovereignty. Sanctions also seldom produce results. What is more likely to happen is that imposing sanctions on Iran and waiting for them to deliver the desired results will effectively give Iran more time to carry on with its program.
This week US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived in the region again, probably her sixth or seventh visit in the last 8 months. For Rice to say she wants to better the life of the Palestinian people as she did in a press conference last week in Washington, “to continue to try to work on bettering the lives of the Palestinian people as well as trying to push forward on a political horizon so that the Palestinian people can see the pathway to the establishment of a Palestinian state” is commendable. However, if she thinks that she can pacify the Palestinians with mere talk, while having the added advantage of winning Arab moderates’ support for its plans on Iran and Iraq, then much more substantial words and deeds are needed.
To begin with, and going briefly back to the concept of sanctions, the secretary ought to know the sanctions imposed by the US, the EU and Israel on the Palestinian people since January 2006 has caused much harm and suffering to the Palestinian people, deprived tens of thousands of public sector government employees of their monthly income, and damaged the Palestinian economy. Worse still, sanctions radicalized some people further, deepened enmity towards the US and added the proof to those who need it that this US administration, on Palestinian and Arab issues, can never be fair. The sanctions lent credence to those who believe the US is actively helping Israel perpetuate its occupation, and deprive the Palestinian people of their liberty freedom and independence.
For the first time, the Palestinian people now have a fresh, credible, efficient, and moderate government. It should be the envy of the Israeli people who are stuck with a government awash with corruption, sex scandals, and inadequacy. The current Palestinian government should be given the time and the space to function. This cannot happen while the American-sponsored sanctions on the Palestinian people continue. The message from the Palestinian people to Secretary Rice is that the priority should be on Israel ending the occupation and battering the Palestinian peoples’ lives.
Should the US sincerely start working on defining a political horizon with a view to ending the Israeli occupation within defined time limits, this would serve the American interests in different ways. It could begin changing the negative image the US has on the Arab and Muslim street. This will certainly reduce the extent of any sympathy the Arab and Muslim street might have for Iran’s problematic nuclear program. A remarkable shift in Arab and Muslim attitudes in favor of America to help end its dilemma, and serve its interests in the region can only occur when Washington decides to help end the Israeli occupation of Palestinian and Arab lands, and a truly free viable and independent Palestinian state in line with UN resolutions is established.
— Walid M. Awad is a Palestinian journalist based in Ramallah.
