I received a letter from a reader commenting on my article titled “Sharon Knows Peace Would Not Lead to Greater Israel” which was published on April 22. The writer asked with concern whether Israel’s political leaders are indeed programmed to implement a pre-planned political project.
The reader also wanted to know if all Israel political leaders must have a military background. The reader then asked: If Arabs have no trust in Ariel Sharon and in past and future Israeli leaders how can peace be achieved?
My answer to these questions is that all indications point to the fact that Israel is not interested in peace and its leaders never honor their commitments. All these conferences, commitments made and agreements signed are no more than a theatrical show designed to convince the world that Israel is indeed working for peace. All these press conferences and the pictures showing negotiators shaking hands and smiling are meant to improve the Jewish image before a European public opinion that is no longer convinced of Israel’s good intentions.
The failure to achieve peace in the Middle East would always loom over the region as long as there is no impartial mediator to fairly judge both the Palestinians and Israelis.
Like other Jewish leaders, Sharon is just a tool in the hands of international Zionism which uses him and others to consolidate its claims on a Greater Israel from the Nile to the Euphrates, Biblical Land, the Wailing Wall, The Temple and to turn Jewish tales and mythical traditions into facts and then sell these to the ordinary Jews.
Having announced the postponement of the withdrawal from Gaza for another three weeks, Sharon resumed his attacks against the Palestinian people, disregarding all the promises and commitments he made at Sharm El-Sheikh summit.
Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat accused Israel of breaching the understandings reached at Sharm El-Sheikh and of stalling in the implementation of its commitments, of continuing its policy of raiding Palestinian homes, mass arrests, going ahead with building the separation wall on occupied Palestinian land and of grabbing more Palestinian land in the West Bank.
Contrary to what has been agreed upon, Israel plans to retain its control over Rafah crossing, the only area linking the Gaza Strip with the outside world thus blocking any possibility of a geographic continuity with West Bank.
It is the Israeli political leadership hailing from the military establishment who waged wars against the Arabs and usurped their land to establish their state. Contrary to what is being said about Israel being “an oasis of democracy” in the Middle East, the Israeli leadership should be the last to speak about democracy.
The Arab regimes described as being dictatorial are more democratic than the Israeli system. The Arabs do not plot to occupy others’ land by force or threaten them with nuclear war.
After being well prepared for the future, the Jewish military has two missions to carry out: Entering into negotiations and understandings and continuing their policy of brutalizing the Palestinian people applying the method of physical liquidation. In the meantime Israeli leaders would go back on every promise made to or understanding reached with Palestinians. It is a vicious cycle. No one should expect peace to prevail in the Land of Peace under such circumstances.
