4 - 10 January 2001
Issue No.515
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Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 4 - 10 January 2001 Issue No.515 |
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 | Current issue | Previous issue | Site map | ||
Agreeing to nothing
Since Bill Clinton became deeply involved in the peace process, he has been portrayed as the American president who showed the greatest understanding of, and empathy for, the Arab standpoint in the conflict. Yet a telephone conversation between Clinton and Yasser Arafat last week, during which the latter refused US proposals for a final deal with Israel without first obtaining some clarifications, put paid to the illusion that understanding of any sort could be expected from the outgoing American president.
Clinton reportedly told Arafat that if he failed to seize the "golden opportunity" of a deal with Israel, he would be forgotten by history and coming generations of Palestinians would curse him. The Palestinian leader is said to have hung up, turned to an aide and said: "He's threatening me."
Had Clinton any understanding of the conflict and its roots, he would have never made the proposals he has put forth -- proposals that are, yet again, intolerably biased towards Israel. He would have known, too, that Arafat will only be cursed by future generations of Palestinians if he sells out and accepts the US-Israeli proposals.
No Arab leader would like to be remembered for having given up Arab, Muslim and Christian rights in Jerusalem, or conceded the right of return of millions of refugees forced into exile by occupation troops over 50 years ago.
Moreover, as in all previous US-sponsored deals, each point in Clinton's proposal is so ambiguous as to require a separate agreement. The Palestinians accepted a humiliating deal in 1993 because it was an interim agreement. But in a final deal, all the details will have to be clear.
Clinton needs an agreement desperately. And Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak needs a deal to increase his chances of winning the upcoming elections. But neither leader can hope to reserve a place in the history books by riding roughshod over international law, world opinion, and the Palestinians' inalienable human rights.
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