15 - 21 February 2001
Issue No.521
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Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 15 - 21 February 2001 Issue No.521 |
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What Sharon means
Sharon's triumph is the first time a politician with a record of terrorist activity -- indeed, one who stands accused of war crimes -- has headed the Israeli government. For close on half a century prior to becoming prime minister, Sharon's crimes against the Palestinian, Syrian, Egyptian, Lebanese and Jordanian peoples did not cease. One must not forget that Sharon has another, more obvious history of terrorism as an officer in the Israeli occupation forces.
Still, there are those who claim that Sharon's predecessor had an equally gruesome track record: after all, he boasted about killing 2,000 Egyptian prisoners of war during the 1956 Tripartite Aggression, and murdering the leaders of the Palestinian resistance -- Kamal Adwan, Kamal Nassir, Mohamed Youssef Al-Najjar -- in Beirut in the spring of 1973. Sharon's rise to power may therefore signify no more than the Labour Party passing on the task of negotiations to Likud. Neither tactics nor long-term goals have changed; while the leader's name may have changed, his vision stays essentially the same.
The current situation requires an intelligent restructuring of goals and a clearer understanding of how to realise them. First, on the part of the Palestinians, an alliance of national forces must be established in which Palestinian resistance fighters noted for their courage are represented, heard and respected. All political prisoners must be released, and the resistance must be fully endorsed by the Palestinian Authority, which would thereby reflect the views of the people at large. Secondly, Arab regimes must take on the responsibility of normalising Arab relations, re-establishing comprehensive ties and creating a strong and united Arab front capable of confronting Zionist aggression. The Intifada must receive moral and financial support as well, because without the Intifada Arab rights would be lost forever.
* This week's Soapbox speaker is a Palestinian political analyst.
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