By: Jo-ana D'Balcazar
Evidence shows that the so-called Roadmap to peace is leading to violence and indirectly an open call for the destruction of Israel because it is not based on strong policies. The problem with the Roadmap stems that Israel made concessions while violence still increased without dismantling the root of terrorism which is the Palestinian Authority itself with its main leader Yasser Arafat, and Arab states that, unfortunately, sponsor terrorist groups within Israel. Period. The truth is that rhetorical words and a photographed hand shake between Israeli PM Ariel Sharon and Palestinian PM Mahmoud Abbas will not lead to peace but to a collection of failed peace hand-shake albums.
The key is to follow a strong and consistent policy, just as President Ronald Reagan had the courage to demand the fall of the "Berlin wall," now President George W. Bush has the opportunity to challenge and demand the fall of the Palestinian Authority. It is known that the Palestinian Authority and its militant groups (Al-Fatah, Tanzim, and Al-Aksa Martyrs Brigade) are involved with terrorism.
The question is whether Pres. Bush has the same character and guts to stand by his own policies of not negotiating with terrorists, which at this moment don't look as a positive statement. Moreover, the U.S. lists Syria as a state sponsoring terrorism and yet the U.S. maintains relations with Syria, which supports terrorist groups as Hamas that calls for the destruction of Israel and the killing of all Jews. This is simply contradictory. Hence, the 2 states living side by side is not a practical idea when one of the states allows terrorist groups which pursue the destruction of Israel.
Suggestions For U.S. Policy
Evidence has clearly indicated that the violence in Israel will not stop unless consistent policies are applied. The following are some suggestions to eradicate terrorism and its infrastructures within the territories temporarily granted to the Arab-Palestinians which include Gaza strip, Judea and Samaria, wrongly know as the West Bank. For a successful and consistent policy, the U.S. should consider three points:
1. Immediate approval of the Arafat Accountability Act sponsored by Republican Congressman Roy Blunt to have Arafat, the Palestinian Authority and the PLO finally accountable for sponsoring terrorism. There is no way to fight terrorism when Arafat and the Palestinian Authority, who are supposed to stop the increased terrorist activities, are themselves involved with terrorism. It is contradictory and only a blind eye cannot see the double game that Arafat plays, and who has never stopped of being a terrorist himself. The militant groups of the PA, including Al-Fatah, Tanzim, and the Al-Aksa Martyrs Brigade are responsible for many terrorist acts including homicide bombings. The fact is that PM Mahmoud Abbas is only a front face but the real one moving the pieces of the game is Yasser Arafat. Moreover, how can Pres. Bush, who recently went to Auschwitz and saw one of the places of the holocaust, deal with Abbas, who rejects that there even was a holocaust?
2. Immediate approval of the Syrian Accountability Act. It was ridiculous to see U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell to call and visit the Syrians to help stem terrorism in the Middle East, when the Syrians are a state sponsoring terrorism included in the U.S. State Department list. Again, this is totally contradictory and inconsistently dealing with terrorist organizations/states. It is imperative to pass the Syrian Accountability Act and take actions - not words - to have Syria accountable. On one hand, Syria condemns al-Qaeda but refused to acknowledge Hamas as a terrorist group, which has an office in Damascus. How can the Syrians accept Powell's appeal of stopping violence when they do not consider Hamas' acts as terrorism but an act of freedom fighters?Unbelievable. Is like knowing whom the thief is and still calls him diplomatically to stop stealing instead of sending him to prison!
3. The U.S. must be consistent with its policies of helping its allies against terrorism. Hence, the U.S. in its efforts to eradicate terrorism and its infrastructures must support Israel, including the expulsion of Yasser Arafat. The fact of Pres. Bush criticizing Israel when it counterattacks the Palestinians responsible for homicide bombings is contradictory. Israel is doing what the U.S. is doing when it goes to eradicate al-Qaeda. It is a clear double standard. For example, Pres. Bush vowed in the summit of Jordan and Egypt to remain involved in the Roadmap. However, during the increased violence last week, the administration was cautious instead of taking a strong and active role.
Furthermore, Pres. Bush's statement of being "troubled" by Israel's actions when attempted to assassinate Abdel-Aziz Rantisi, considered the number two of the radical Islamist terrorist group Hamas, was an indication of inconsistency and double standard.
Let us set the record straight and analyze the situation in Gaza. Israel did not attack just for fun, it did so after a Palestinian homicide bomber, disguised as an ultra-Orthodox Jew, blew himself in a bus in Jerusalem on June 11 killing 17 while injuring more than 60. The terrorist group "Hamas" claimed responsibility for the attack. Hence, it was the unwillingness of the Palestinian Authority to effectively eradicate terrorism that led Israel to launch the attack in Gaza killing two Hamas leaders and five bystanders.
The two leaders were no regular innocent Palestinian people, but terrorists. The question is why Bush rebuked Israel for the counterattack instead of supporting it? Bush's claim that the Israeli action undermined the peace progress was totally absurd, wrong, and nonsense. Several congressional representatives, who justified Israel's right to self-defense, perceived Bush's criticism of Israel as being soft if not negative.
The reality is that the "homicide bombings from the Palestinian side" undermined the peace process, not the other way around. Did the U.S. not pursue the eradication of Osama Bin Laden and its terrorist infrastructure when it attacked Afghanistan? Then, why the double standard in the case of Israel? Sharon, just like Bush, is pursuing terrorists to the fullest extent. Instead of Pres. Bush calling "all the free world to use every once of their power to prevent more attacks," the right call should be to immediately stop terrorism with actions not rhetoric, diplomatic statements, or posed handshakes.
Therefore, the attack on Abdel Aziz Rantisi, a terrorist leader of Hamas, was justified. According to Israeli intelligence report, Rantisi was directly involved in planning terrorist attacks to sabotage peace negotiations. Moreover, Israeli officials acknowledged receiving about 55 alerts of future Hamas homicide bombings and other strikes.
The fact is that Israel committed an act of self-defense since the Palestinian Authority, including Mahmoud Abbas, is not doing its work to eradicate terrorism. Ironically, Abbas dared to call Israel's self-defense as a "terrorist action," while not criticizing the homicide bombings -the terrorist act itself - which was done by Hamas. How can Israel continue dealing with Abbas when he refuses to acknowledge the root of terrorism? Bush should avoid Clinton's mistakes of forcing a "hand shake" when he forced former Israeli PM Ehud Barak and Arafat to a failed handshake. Simply, evil and good can not shake hands.
Contrary to the declaration of the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hamidreza Assefi on the Tehran Times, calling the UN-Secretary General Kofi Annan and international organizations to stop the atrocities of the Zionist regime against the Palestinians, the UN must stop terrorism organizations including Hamas, not a democratic country struggling for its right to exist.
First, the atrocities are committed by the Palestinians, who usually are the ones starting the attacks, while Israel just counterattacks to defend its citizens from the atrocities of homicide bombers. Second, the problem is that the UN is no longer a viable moral body to stop terrorism, because among its members it has states that sponsor terrorism. For example, Syria, a member of the Security Council, supports Hamas and other terrorist groups and it is even included in the U.S. list of states sponsoring terrorism. It is a matter of logic. Who is the one pursuing the homicide bombings and terrorist policies?
The point is that without taking the above points in consideration, the U.S. is just fooling itself. The truth is that forcing Israel and the Palestinians back on peace negotiations while terrorism is still perpetrated by Palestinians is not wise. It is absurd. It is not a matter of keeping the Roadmap "alive" but a matter of keeping the right of Israel to exist. Therefore, as long as the Palestinian Authority does not take effective responsibility to use force against Hamas and other terrorist groups including their own, Israel must take the responsibility to fight terrorism to defend its right to exist or be willing to disappear. Hence, the remarks of Rep. Tom Lantos (D-Calif) makes sense "If the Palestinians will not act, Israel has no choice but to use force itself."
The bottom line is that the success of the Roadmap will be determined by the firm and direct involvement of the U.S. to effectively help its ally eradicate once and for all the terrorist infrastructures that openly call for the destruction of Israel. There is no other way out. How can the U.S. remain committed to the vision of a Palestinian state and an Israeli state "living side-by-side in peace" when it is witnessing the relentless violence and terrorist policy of Palestinians and its supposedly governmental body of the Palestinian Authority?
Therefore, until the Quartet, especially the U.S., calls for the complete eradication of Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, and the dismantling of the Palestinian Authority (including Al-Fatah, Tanzim, and Al-Aksa Martyrs Brigade), there will be no peace. Period! The Roadmap will be only another "piece of paper." In addition, the media must report the facts as they are and call terrorists acts and their performers as terrorists, not just militants. Allowing an open window to these terrorist groups only validates their aim to exterminate Israel. Contrary to Hitler that had his plan of extermination "final solution," almost hidden, these terrorist groups this time, are openly pursuing the extermination of the Jews while the international community sits watching the show, just as the Romans watched the killing of thousand innocents at the Coliseum.
Reportedly, Hitler killed 6 million of Jews, how many will the terrorist groups kill? Isn't it time to stop this insanity or will the world allow another holocaust? Is this the end of the Jews, or the time to stand firm against evil, as Reagan did? The challenge for Pres. Bush to show a strong or a weak leadership is open.
Are the Arab-Palestinians expecting Israel to stand still and wait to be completely exterminated? What do you think?
Jo-ana D'Balcazar, M.A., Political Analyst in International Relations, specializes in the European Union and the Middle East Crisis. Comments to: politics2see@hotmail.com
This article was originally published in Pakistan Today on Friday, June 20, 2003, and is re-published here with permission from the author.