Issue No. 607
Editorial
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10 - 16 October 2002 Issue No. 607 Editorial |
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 | Recommend this page | ||
Killing with impunity
Israel's army has once again displayed its contempt for Palestinian life, this time in Khan Younis, Gaza, where the Israeli Defence Force killed at least 14 people, most of them civilians, and wounded more than 100, many of them seriously. After Israel's four-hour incursion into Khan Younis, Palestinians thought that the attack was over. But they were fatally wrong. An Israeli helicopter pilot found his target in the crowds who gathered in the street, and without warning fired a missile in their midst, in complete disregard for the sanctity of human life.
Even more upsetting than Israel's heinous actions, is the international community's failure to do anything to stop such insanity. Is there any other country that fires missiles at civilians secure in the knowledge that the international community will remain silent? If Ariel Sharon were not completely certain that Israel is above international law, he would not have publicly praised the officers who carried out the Khan Younis operation, and described the travesty as "successful".
US President George W Bush, in arguing his case against Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, has repeatedly mentioned the brutality of the Iraqi regime and its suppression and killing of its own people. Sharon has ordered the killing of Palestinians virtually every day since he took office nearly two years ago. And the higher the number of Palestinians victims, the more pleased the Israeli premier is with the "successes" achieved by his army.
At the same time, and instead of seeking punishment for Sharon for his war crimes, US President Bush rewards the Israeli premier by inviting him for a meeting at the White House later this month.
If the international community were committed to justice, someone like Sharon would not even be accorded the designation of world leader. Instead, he would take up his rightful place alongside Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic at The Hague on trial for crimes against humanity.
Meanwhile, as President Bush reiterates ad nauseam the importance of removing the Iraqi regime to maintain world peace, Arab citizens are asking themselves how many thousands of Palestinians must be killed before the international community moves to put an end to this madness.
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