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What Can We Do? Nothing
Abdulwahab Badrakhan Al-Hayat 2003/12/26
Ariel Sharon is proceeding with his plan to carve up the Palestinian territories and turn them into besieged and isolated plots, while the Arabs aren't giving any signs that they're aware of the danger in what's happening. Uri Avnery's analysis of the 'mysteries' of Sharon's speech are enough to realize how arrogant the occupation has become. The issue becomes even clearer since the speech gained the American president's blessing, through his National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice. George Bush used to repeat that he disagreed with the Israelis about the separation wall, and that he considered it a dangerous measure, but he nevertheless ended up fully approving it, with all its repercussions.
For Bush, Sharon was able to eliminate something called the "Palestinian cause," and this is an accomplishment that settles the American diplomacy, which was worried about achieving peace in the Middle East, since any peace would require Israeli concessions, and therefore American pressure on Israel. The fact is that any American president wouldn't dare exert this pressure, because of the risk this involves to his position and party. As a result, Sharon laid out the plan to expand and maintain the occupation, and increase the level of brutality regarding the Palestinian people, whereby he only left a limited solution and a small geographic area, which he had always suggested, but which is today fenced in and has closed horizons. So the Palestinians can either accept it under American, European and Arab pressure, or the unbalanced war goes on forever.
Sharon is changing facts in Palestine, whereas Bush is changing facts in the entire Middle East. Sharon has started benefiting from the Iraq war, just as George Bush has started exploiting it. The Europeans, who think they are doing what should be done, are assuming a role that was drawn for them, and pretending that their values and concepts, which are different from Bush's values and concepts, are prompting them to the initiative. They are taking the initiative, but upon American demands, and are aiming at fulfilling these, rather than improving them. That is why they are exerting pressure on the Palestinians, and the result of this pressure is the acceptance of the terrible reality which Sharon is suggesting. They are getting ready to exert pressure on Syria the same way, without having, as Europeans, any effective impact on the repercussions of these pressures, which they assumed themselves the mission of practicing.
It no longer means anything to say that the Palestinians are the right holders of an occupied land. This is a known fact and ascertained in international resolutions. But the U.S. has adopted the deaf-blind policy. It is in favor of the occupation, and had it been otherwise, it wouldn't have needed someone to warn it that it is ignoring facts. It is obvious that it also chose to dismiss the fact that Syria too has land under occupation, and thus it is in a state of war against Israel, even if it isn't in a traditional way. Nevertheless, the U.S. is trying tries to strip Syria from any non-traditional weapons, without putting any effort in exchange for activating a peaceful settlement, even to the end of establishing some balance or just some rationality.
It also doesn't mean anything to say that the solution is to accept or give in to the American policy, so that it does what it deems good for the Arabs and to their advantage and benefit. Isn't this what it did for Iraq (!), and isn't this what it's planning with ventures of democracy and other (!) But practically, this is not its goal. It never was. It wants, just like Israel, to dominate, give orders and take decisions, and soak up the wealth. It will not aim at that, especially during an election year, when all that is being said is that the president can only exert pressure on the logical targets, which means the Arabs, and the Arabs alone. In the absence of any American policy or initiative, Sharon said that he was ready to fill the vacuum during one entire year, by using the Arabs against the Arabs; such as using Egypt to convince the Palestinians of a 'truce' which the Israelis never said they were concerned about, and such as using the new Iraq against Syria.
In the meantime, the talk goes on about an alleged meeting between the Palestinian and Israeli Prime ministers, while the Arabs pursue their consultative meetings in a vicious circle, as if they are asking: what can we do? And answer: nothing. Let us let this disaster complete its course and then we'll see how we deal with it.
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