A day after the Beirut Arab summit adopted a plan for peace with Israel, summit chair Lebanon and the Palestinian delegation to the conference called on the world Friday to stop the Jewish state's latest offensive against
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. A Lebanese Foreign Ministry statement condemned Israel's "barbarous war" against the Palestinians and called on the UN, the United States, Russia and the European Union to intervene to halt it.
In an interview with Egyptian television from his besieged office, Arafat also called on the international community to halt Israel's "madness" in launching a pre-dawn assault on his West Bank headquarters. He called for Arab leaders "to mobilize at the international level, jointly with world leaders, to put an end to the international terrorism of (Israeli Prime Minister Ariel) Sharon."
The Palestinian delegation to the Arab summit that ended Thursday asked Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, author of the Arab peace initiative, to seek the aid of the main world powers to halt Israel's assault.
The request came in a meeting between Faruq Khaddumi, the Palestinian Foreign Minister who headed the PLO delegation to the summit, and Crown Prince Abdullah, the effective ruler of Saudi Arabia.
Also at the Palestinians' request, Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri called French President Jacques Chirac who "promised to get in touch with American, Russian and European leaders," Palestinian international cooperation minister Nabil Shaath told reporters here. Hariri also called Spain's Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar, current chair of the European Union.
"Only hours after the Arab peace initiative was adopted at the Beirut summit, Israel responded with a barbarous war and an arrogant savage aggression," the Lebanese foreign ministry statement said.
The peace plan approved by the summit provides for the Arabs to grant Israel normal relations and security in return for its pullout from occupied Arab lands and a "just solution" to the issue of the Palestinian refugees. "What Israel is doing confirms again that it is a terrorist state which rejects peace," the statement added. "The presidency of the Arab summit denounces in the strongest manner this arrogant aggression and calls on the (UN) Security Council, the United States, the Russian Federation and the European Union and all those who back the Arab peace initiative to act immediately to deter Israel and its aggression." Israel's "criminal policy" violates international law and threatens security and stability in the region.
US Ambassador to Beirut, Vincent Battle, said after meeting Hariri that US Middle East envoy Anthony Zinni "remains in the area, remains focused on an effort to get a ceasefire so that the negotiations that are critical to a peaceful solution to the problems in the area can go forward."
Five Palestinians and an Israeli officer were killed in clashes as Israeli tanks and troops backed by helicopters reoccupied Ramallah and battered their way into Arafat's compound, but held off from entering his offices. According to a Palestinian official inside, Israeli forces later machine-gunned Arafat's office building.
Sharon launched the military clampdown after declaring the Palestinian leader an "enemy" in the wake of a suicide bombing that killed 21 people, and the bomber, in the Israeli city of Natanya.
By March 29th, Israel's occupying forces, supported by tanks, artillery and Apache helicopters, had managed to squeeze the head of the Palestinian Authority into two rooms. Israel's atrocities, terror, assassinations and summary killings are executed under the blessings of the great supporter of occupation — the United States of America. Nevertheless, Arab leaders have no choice but to hope that the sky will one day rain gold. They still hope that some day the US will take a just stance on the Palestinian issue.
The US administration reassured the international community that Yasser Arafat would not be hurt! How petty and how humiliating! The Israelis were dutifully obedient to the instructions of their master — Uncle Sam. They, in fact, did not hesitate to furnish the besieged leader with some food and a few boxes of candles. A wonderful gesture from Israel's butcher who wants to demonstrate to the world that he will neither harm nor eliminate Arafat. Fortunately, the intentions, acts and massacres committed by butcher Ariel Sharon are aired every minute on TV stations and the world community is aware of circumstances in the occupied lands.
How sad the Arabs have watched the besieged Arafat struggling for survival and are helpless to do anything but to condemn or denounce Israel's atrocities. The Arabs did nothing to compare with the act of some brave Western male and female peace activists, who walked into the compound to rescue the Palestinian leader! Hats off to these men and women who refused to stay in a five-star hotel and chose to guard the Palestinian leader! Hats off to the peace activists who jeopardized their lives by walking to the besieged compound in a crossfire to console the Palestinian leader and to reassure him that he was not alone in this nightmare!
How humiliating to see the Arab countries doing nothing for their Palestinian brothers! How shameful to see the Israelis executing innocents in cold blood and our leaders seeking the intervention of the US to put an end to the bloodshed!
This is the time when the Arab masses want definite answers to the following questions: What is the use of Arab countries having armies? Why do we spend so much of our gigantic budgets on weapons, training, navies and air forces? What is it all for? When are we going to use our military power? And for whom are we building military installations? It is said that the Arab armies are there to defend our dignity, our faith, our religious sanctuaries and our existence. In fact, US policy has trod on our dignity and given no thought to our existence. The Israelis are not alone. The Israelis are nothing without their US-made weapons. The Israelis are nothing without Uncle Sam's blind support for their expansionist policies. The US president has proven to be a dedicated public relations representative for Israel. He has also become an official spokesman for the Jewish state.
The US president attempts to label Israel's atrocities as self-defense and he justifies the summary killings of innocents as a response to terrorism. The US president sees those who tape their bodies with explosives and blow themselves up in an attempt to defend their land as terrorists! Funny, is it not? Even funnier are the dreaming Arab leaders who beg for US intervention, for a just stance and for a reevaluation of US policies in the Middle East. Why are we begging the US when it provided the latest weapons to the Zionists enabling them to commit more atrocities and killings? On what basis do we hope that the US will side with the righteous party in the Middle East or elsewhere? Why should we ask the Palestinians to halt retaliations when they are under fire, terror, suppression, persecution and siege by the Israelis? Why are our leaders so terrified and why do they accept such a humiliating situation? Why are the Arab armies helpless? And why is it that Palestinian women have achieved more than us with our overflowing military storehouses?
How shameful to see Arab leaders applaud a heroic operation carried out by a young Palestinian girl when their own armies did nothing! How disgusting to see Arab leaders helplessly denounce and condemn Sharon as they telephone each other seeking to stop him!
Regardless of whether we agree or disagree with Arafat, we are proud of his stance despite his limited resources. We are proud of you, Arafat as a fearless combatant trained to survive pain and torture. In spite of old age, pressure and being abandoned by your brother Arab leaders, I was proud to see you working under siege with the light of a single candle! As the Arab leaders are unable to act, I call upon the Arab masses to boycott American products and stop traveling to the US for any reason, including education. This is the least we can do to support the efforts of our Palestinian brothers who are fighting Israel's occupation, atrocities and its new Nazism.
Arabs were particularly dismayed at comments made by US President George W. Bush earlier this week, in which he insisted that even under siege Arafat could still "do more" to eradicate "terrorism," but some were bewildered by conflicting positions emanating from Washington. For example, the US voted in favor of a UN Security Council resolution calling on Israel to withdraw from Palestinian territories and in an interview with CNN, Secretary of State Colin Powell said the US will not brand Arafat as a terrorist and still considers him as the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people.
Some media analysts suggested that such contrasts signal a split within the US administration on ways to approach the Middle East and solve the conflict. But politicians here say they do not have to read between the lines to conclude that all these statements are pointing in one direction.
Abu Nimeh commented: "What Powell also said was that sending Arafat into exile would be wrong because he might do more outside (to support Palestinian armed factions.) He criticized Sharon's policies because they are not yielding results, not because they violated human rights or international law."
"Washington's main international agenda is to combat terrorism," noted former Information Minister Ibrahim Izzedine. "But, unfortunately, from a perspective based on the September 11th attacks." More than 6 months after the attacks, the US seems unclear on how its policies in the Middle East can fit into its campaign to fight what it branded as "international terrorism."
When Washington started its "war on terrorism," rhetoric emanating from the White House articulated the need to establish a Palestinian state and come to a final solution for the Middle East problem.
