VOL. XLV
No 17
29
US’s Role In The Arab-Israeli Conflict
The following is an extract from an article by Dr Usama al-Ghazali Harb (Editor of the quarterly al-Siassa al-Dawlya [International Politics] published by al-Ahram in Cairo) entitled “US Responsibility After The Sharon Invasion,” published in al-Ahram on 17 April:
The responsibility of the US to find a solution to the Palestinian issue and to resolve the Arab-Israeli dispute after Sharon’s invasion of the West Bank on 29 March is not the same as it was before. This is not because the invasion prompted the US to become, all of a sudden, more aware of its responsibilities (given that it is the most powerful state in the world) to resolve the major conflicts in the world, but because of the position that the US adopted for itself from the opening moments of the invasion, and possibly for some considerable time before that. For the US’s entanglement – possibly to a greater extent than at any time in the past – is not only in its support for Israel, but also its support for its extremist and hostile attitudes. In this position it has adopted for itself, the US faces two choices, and no more than that: either it can go on hanging back from performing its role by increasing its support for Israel and standing at one with it – in which case it must expect a negative reaction and real threats to its interests and security. The other option is to take a step towards achieving a final settlement to the conflict which means pressure being put on both parties together, and not just on the Palestinian side, in a way that it will more likely result in US interests and security being protected.
Perhaps these two choices reflect the distinction which for some time American writers have expressed between, on the one hand, a slow and limited involvement of the US in the Middle East with the aim of introducing limited measures and, on the other, a decisive involvement aimed at reaching a complete political solution. For example, Henry Kissinger, still advises against seeking a final settlement of the Arab-Israeli conflict at this stage, saying it should be managed rather than resolved, with the focus on limited measures such as a ceasefire. At the same time Zbignew Brheznski – by contrast – is calling on the US to start formulating and putting into effect a complete scenario for an overall political settlement, given the fact that there is no power in the world able to play this role other than the US.
The US role, in theory at least, could offer better opportunities than have existed in the past for the following reasons:
· The Israelis badly need peace and security after living in fear for so long.
· The Israelis and the Americans both think that Sharon’s military attack was successful in smashing what they call the terrorist infrastructure – if only in part.
· The Palestinians (despite all the destruction they have witnessed) are feeling self-confident, with unprecedented international support, not to mention the heroic defiance of their leader Yasir 'Arafat who will emerge stronger than ever before from his current isolation.
· The Arab peace initiative is still on the table despite the difficulties and despair that surrounded its birth.
The question is: do the Americans – by which we mean the current administration – have sufficiently keen historical vision, along with wisdom and patience, to enable them to play a strong and neutral mediating role? This is the question for the coming days.
The Will Of The Arab People
The following is an extract from an article by 'Abd al-'Aziz al-Dukhail (Saudi author) published in the Saudi daily al-Watan on 14 April:
The Arab world these days is living through an important and dangerous period of its life in which new lines are being drawn on the Arab political map in the light of the war of annihilation that Israel is conducting, in solidarity with the US, against the Palestinian people. The highlights of this new state of affairs are:
1. Arab governments: even if we used to acknowledge their performance and their loyalty to national objectives, this latest volcano and the sham of nationalist rhetoric have led to the complete collapse of the concept of nationalism and the morality of the Arab ruling regimes.
2. The Arab people are angry, and a flash of hope has appeared, despite the restrictions on free speech, finding expression on the streets, in homes and on television screens, throwing into focus the silence of the regimes.
3. The US administration and Congress: even if we acknowledge their strategic relationship with Israel, the stand of this president, expressing US right-wing views in violation of Western humanitarian and civilized values and endangering US strategic interests in the Middle East, has surpassed all expectations.
4. Oil is a strategic commodity that, like any other commodity, is subject to market forces and the rules of supply and demand. Oil, like any other commodity in the hand of the people, can be a weapon. Any people has the moral and legal right to use it this way when its existence and national and security interests are at stake. Economics is one thing and politics is another, and both have roles to play. In peacetime, when relations between states are normal, the economic role prevails. But when a nation is faced with war and the violation of its sanctity at the hand of a tyrannical enemy, then politics takes command to protect the security, safety, values and existence of the nation. The annihilation that the Palestinians are facing today, along with the threats and the violation of dignity that the Arab and Islamic nations are facing at the hands of Israel and the US – all these factors transform oil from submitting to the law of supply and demand to a national strategic commodity. The question, under these circumstances, is not whether to use oil as a weapon but how and by how much.
5. We are faced with this new state of affairs which has been revealed clearly to the Arab citizen. And as he passes through this important period of contemporary history, his hope is:
i. The Arab people will continue to express their anger and will not be satisfied with the performance of their governments and the way they are dealing with the situation.
ii. The Arab people will go on expressing their anger at the US’s support for the Israeli crimes against the rights of the Palestinians.
iii. Financial, urgent and effective support will be forthcoming for the Palestinian resistance.
iv. Arab governments will awaken sufficiently to reclaim something of their national and moral legitimacy morality in the eyes of the Arab people.