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Al-Ahram Weekly 10 - 16 February 2000 Issue No. 468 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 10 - 16 February 2000 Issue No. 468
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Features Focus Profile Travel Books Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters The lying game
Israel's aggression against civilian installations in Lebanon this week not only confirmed that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak is no different from his predecessors, but also dashed any hope that a peaceful settlement will be reached soon in this region. The Lebanese resistance movement, Hizbullah, in which Arabs everywhere now take pride, did not violate any of the so-called "understanding" reached after Israel's 1996 massacre of Lebanese civilians. The agreement reached at that time restricted attacks on civilian targets, leaving open the right to the Lebanese people, led by Hizbullah, to resist Israel's occupation of their country. It seems, however, that the mighty Israeli military machine could not withstand the series of successes scored by the resistance fighters, and is now violating the agreements reached in 1996 by striking anywhere in Lebanon.
Although not surprising, the world community's reaction to the Israeli attacks on Lebanese civilians, and the strikes it launched on key power stations, plunging the country into darkness, was understated, to say the least. The usual tight-lipped condemnations and appeals for self-restraint were issued -- nothing more. This attitude may be expected from countries outside the region, but cannot be accepted from Arab states directly involved in the so-called peace process. Israel should not be allowed to bomb Lebanon at night and then talk peace and pose for the cameras the next morning with its Arab "peace partners". The least Arab countries could do is meet and agree on conveying this message unequivocally to Israel.
Barak, who has beaten his predecessor at the lying game, should also learn from the thousands of Israelis who have been hiding for days inside bomb shelters. Does he want the Israeli people to continue living this for decades, paying the price for their country's aggressive policy toward its neighbours? Why is it so difficult for Israel's leaders to understand that their occupation of Arab land is behind all the violence we have been seeing in the region? The Lebanese, Palestinians and Syrians living in the Golan Heights have every right to resist the occupiers. It is the aggressor who should be condemned, not the victims.
