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Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 12 - 18 October 2000 Issue No. 503 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 12 - 18 October 2000 Issue No. 503
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Elections Palestine International Economy Opinion Culture Books Interview Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Israel's sophistication
Arab anger about what is now happening in Jerusalem and the occupied territories is twofold. For one thing, the whole crisis started with one person seeking his own political gains irrespective of people's feelings about sites that they consider sacred.
Ariel Sharon's visit to Al-Haram Al-Sharif, surrounded by thousands of heavily armed Israeli soldiers, was intended as the most blatant act of provocation. It was designed specifically to trigger an outburst of pent-up rage, and in this it succeeded admirably.
The second factor that led to this outpouring of anger on the part of peoples who usually think twice before they revolt was Israel's response: to back up this one person, turning the crisis into a full-fledged war with supreme indifference to the great danger that ensued inevitably, and meeting Palestinian stones with tank and missile fire.
In the course of the struggle against British occupation, Egyptians fought with rifles rather than simply stones. Many of them fell dead, but there was not even the slightest sign of a British plane or missile brought to bear on the struggle. This is essentially a question of civilisation, I suppose and, in light of what is happening, one can only conclude that Israel has reached an unimaginable degree of sophistication in this respect.
Based on an interview by Mohamed Salmawy.
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