Sig: You make some good points...
Israel has a clear right to defend itself and I recognize that...the question is what's the most appropriate way to do it...? I tend to agree with William F. Buckley that Sharon's massive military invasion into The West Bank has been very counter productive. It is destabilizing the region and has antagonized the moderate Arab nations that the U.S. needs to maintain positive relations with. There clearly are no easy answers to The Arab-Israeli conflict....Here's an editorial from a leading newspaper in Israel...
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Powell must continue / HA'ARETZ Editorial
Monday, April 15, 2002 Iyyar 3, 5762 Israel Time: 15:03 (GMT+3)
haaretzdaily.com
<<U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell's long meeting yesterday with Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat, which was held at the latter's besieged compound in Ramallah, sent a clear message that the Americans continue to recognize Arafat and the PA as legitimate dialogue partners. The meeting was held to the visible chagrin of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, and despite U.S. President George Bush's publicly expressed reservations regarding Arafat's behavior. At the end of the meeting, the gaps between Israel and the Palestinians still remained.
Palestinian Authority spokesmen declared after the meeting that they oppose engaging in cease-fire negotiations so long as Israel Defense Forces troops are deployed in West Bank cities. The Palestinians insisted that Israel honor immediately a UN Security Council resolution concerning troop withdrawal, and that it abide by President Bush's reiterated position on the matter. Reports relayed from the Prime Minister's Office and the weekly government meeting indicate that Sharon is not inclined to present Powell with a withdrawal timetable - not during the second meeting between the two, which was scheduled for last night.
Continuing Palestinian terror in the heart of Israel, and the continuing, massive presence of IDF troops in West Bank cities, threaten to derail Powell's diplomatic mission while it is still in motion. The sieges on Arafat's office and on the Church of the Nativity area in Bethlehem also deflect attention from the deep-rooted causes of the crisis. Urgent humanitarian problems, and the argument over what comes first (a cease-fire, or an IDF withdrawal), foil plans to re-build on the rubble of the destroyed physical and political infrastructure in the territories. The U.S. government has not yet been free to put together mechanisms which would lessen the danger that extremist elements might fill the political and security vacuum that will be left in the territories the morning after the Israeli withdrawal.
Powell has not yet been able to discuss diplomatic initiatives with the sides, including the Saudi plan which was adopted by the Arab League in Beirut. Nor has he been at liberty to examine proposals to send international observer forces to the territories, for the purposes of helping the PA combat terror, during the period in which it rebuilds its own security apparatus. Judging by the public statements issued by the Secretary of State since his landing in Israel, and the scant information which was leaked out from his meetings, it is hard to measure the extent of America's determination to persist with intensive, high-level involvement in the conflict.
Following talks with leaders from the two sides, the Secretary of State is scheduled to depart today for Beirut and Damascus, to try to ease tensions on the northern border. It is to be hoped that Powell will return to Jerusalem and Ramallah to continue his mediation effort. An announcement about the failure of the Secretary of State's mission would be liable to deepen feelings of despair among those who seek peace, and also perpetuate both Palestinian terror and Israel's military conquest. The world's leading power is not entitled to neglect its friends, and abandon its interests in the Middle East to enemies of peace and stability. Powell must continue with his work, even if it appears to be an impossible mission.>> |
