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Al-Ahram Weekly 30 Sep. - 6 Oct. 1999 Issue No. 449 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 30 Sep. - 6 Oct. 1999 Issue No. 449
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Focus Features Profile Travel Living Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Attack and retreat
By Salama Ahmed Salama
The Arabs backed down from the confrontation with Walt Disney as abruptly as they had launched their attack; their enthusiasm cooled as quickly as it had been ignited. No one understands what the problem was, or how it was solved, nor the reason for which the Arab foreign ministers meeting in Cairo raised it in the first place, only to declare soon after that no action would be taken. It was declared that Israel and two Arab countries, namely Morocco and Saudi Arabia, would participate in the Walt Disney millennium exhibition in Orlando, Florida. Rumours spread that the Israeli exhibit would include a film on Jerusalem, "the capital of Israel".
Arab and Muslim American groups immediately voiced their objection and asked the Arab countries to interfere. But when the Arabs asked these groups to visit the Israeli organisers and make sure that the Jerusalem exhibit would not be offensive to Muslims or Christians, Walt Disney refused, arguing that the aim of the exhibit was only recreational and cultural, not political.
The Arabs did not back down simply in response to these assurances, however; the decisive factor was the interference of an Arab prince who owns a large number of shares in the Paris Disneyland. He warned that an Arab boycott would harm only the Arabs.
Meanwhile, 12 Arab foreign ministers were holding their first meeting in New York with Israeli Foreign Minister David Levy, on the fringe of General Assembly discussions. These factors may well have encouraged the Arabs to condone the spate of recent Walt Disney films that mock and vilify Arabs. Israel, however, did not allow the "fuss" raised by the Arabs to pass. Barak, Sharon and Levy warned the chairman of Walt Disney not to submit to Arab pressure and interfere with Israeli plans.
The Israelis argue that a threatened Arab boycott can only disturb the peaceful environment and threaten Arab-Israeli relations, which are at a peak of cordiality. According to the Jerusalem Post, the Arabs would do well to refrain from spoiling the fun, and instead should prepare to cooperate with Israel in consolidating the spirit of peace. This will mean avoiding confrontations over Jerusalem or any other issue, since Jerusalem is and must remain the "eternal capital of Israel".
Regardless of such expected arrogance, this incident smacks above all of the confusion which characterises Arab action on a problem they have not fully grasped. No one can predict when or why the Arabs decide to trigger a political or diplomatic confrontation with Israel, let alone when or why they decide to back down. The blows to their credibility sustained as a result of such aborted confrontations are also difficult to estimate. We must wait to see the Arab reaction if the Israeli Walt Disney exhibit does indeed voice the claim that Jerusalem is the "eternal capital of Israel".
