The mask has slipped and the true face of the Zionist state is there for all to see. These are not my words they are testimonies of Western writers, thinkers, politicians and UN officials, some of them Jewish. For example, a Jewish member of the UK Parliament indicted the current Israeli government in a parliamentary session. Another one is an American writer, who said, “Israel: it is time to stop playing the victim role. Remember that American support is based entirely on the notion that no politician can win without the Jewish vote. But not all American Jews think Israel is on a divine mission from God. A great many American Jews believe in international law and justice”.
Many say that this change of attitude is due to the use of excessive power by Israel, a factor that brought down the Roman Empire, Hitler and Saddam Hussein. Numerous distinguished names dared to speak out and the list is getting longer. However, not everyone knows these facts and unfortunately, they include some of the Arab leaders and the elite. It may be the result of the shortsightedness of their advisers or they are being isolated from their own people and the reality of the situation.
Morality is probably the most vital characteristic of a human being. It is exclusive for humans and it is what makes humans, unlike animals, accountable for their actions. Those Westerners’ honesty in condemning Israel was in sharp contrast to the attitude of some of the Arab leaders and writers who displayed a callous indifference to the unfolding events in Gaza. Whether the leaders were elected by the people or not, whether the writers read the pulse of the people or not, they failed the Arab people.
The whole world condemned the Israeli attack without reservations while some of our leaders and writers said Hamas has provoked Israel by firing firecrackers. They forgot that those who fired firecrackers were only signaling a determination to resist occupation and oppression by Israel. Is defending oneself against a brutal occupation force a terrorist act? Since when? Every one has the right to free speech but we cannot accept the patronizing tone and the air of superiority with which they speak. They are in fact spreading a message of defeat. What can you call imprisoning and starving a people and then viciously attacking them by sea, air, and land? All this to a people with no army, no planes, no water, no electricity. This was done to force Gazans to surrender.
Most of the leaders of the so-called developed countries justified Israel’s actions in the name of self-defense, but people all over the world saw in it another facet of the genocide of the Palestinians. Arab leaders should join this global support for the Palestinian cause and pressure the new American administration and Israel to accept the Palestinians’ right to choose a government they like and not the one which the US and Israel want. They should also support the Palestinians’ right to have their own state. There will be another round of election coming up and it will be a real test of democracy in the occupied lands. The issue is not why Hamas accepts assistance from Iran; the issue is why the Arabs let down the elected leaders of the occupied territories and left them vulnerable and in debt to Iran. Moreover, the Arab leaders should consider demanding compensation from Israel for the damages it has caused to Palestinians in Gaza. There is no better time than now to join the many international civil organizations who press war crimes charges against Israeli leaders, both political and military. It worked for Kosovo.
In the past two years a lot has been written about the suspicious and dangerous motivation of a new regional power and I, for one, couldn’t figure out whether they were talking about Israel or Iran. Generation after generation, we have been taught that Israel was the No. 1 enemy of the Arabs. King Abdullah has shown a lot of patience and restraint in handling the Arab and Palestinian divisions and has been trying to bridge the gulf through compromise and discreet diplomacy. The Arabs have been trying to negotiate a peaceful settlement with Israel for six decades and the result has been four wars and loss of many lives and more lands. Still they continue to negotiate directly and indirectly with Israel.
On the other hand, we have not tried to negotiate with Iran or exert more efforts to communicate with its leadership and people with whom we share a lot of things. It is worth trying to end this hostility and war of words with Iran. With this chaos around us how could we ever feel safe with a rogue state playing havoc in our neighborhood? Who knows, we could be the next victims of its atrocities.
