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Al-Ahram Weekly 22 - 28 April 1999 Issue No. 426 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 22 - 28 April 1999 Issue No. 426
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Profile Special Travel Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Israel's Milosevic
Israel's reoccupation of Arnoun in south Lebanon last week should not be dismissed as yet another of Netanyahu's pathetic attempts to confirm his reputation as a hard-liner. Unarmed Lebanese students heroically liberated Arnoun when Israel first occupied the village in February. The Israeli Defence Forces pushed their tanks back in last week, and warned the Lebanese government against any attempt to free the village.This act of aggression -- like the occupation of south Lebanon for the past 20 years -- is a flagrant violation of international law. The few hundred inhabitants of the small village, mostly women and elderly people, were forcibly removed from their homes in a manner very similar to that used on the Kosovars by Yugoslav President Milosevic. Yet the Arabs, of course, cannot expect any response from the US-controlled Security Council, since Washington opposes any objection with the pretext that international condemnation of Israel will only complicate efforts to reach a peaceful settlement.
Many parts of the world today are forced to live by the twisted rules of the Pax Americana: acts of force, occupation and aggression are never the real reason for the lack of any progress in the peace process, while attempts to mobilise international condemnation are.
Israeli voters should know that, with each act of aggression, the possibility of building a "culture of peace" in the region recedes further. Should they vote for a government that continues to take such actions, and for a prime minister who can only understand the language of violence?
Politicians are obliged to say they do not want to interfere in internal Israeli affairs, but newspaper reports and classified documents from this region all imply that re-electing Netanyahu will only lead to further deterioration of the situation.
What we need is an Israeli government willing to negotiate comprehensive peace deals with Arab countries, but also to implement them. Such a government could never be led by Mr Netanyahu.
