29 March - 4 April 2001
Issue No.527
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Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 29 March - 4 April 2001 Issue No.527 |
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When to walk away
What should the Arab world expect from the Amman summit? During the few days preceding the conference, Arab capitals issued a plethora of motions, communications, declarations and statements that paint, if anything, a disturbing picture: the "big issues" that could determine our future seem all but invisible behind the clouds of discord. All the transformations and challenges that have emerged in the Middle East, it seems, will not receive the attention, let alone generate the consensus, they require. The Arabs have failed to develop effective and stable institutional mechanisms to aid in the process of forming a vision -- hence the inadequacy of any possible prophecy. The summit will take place, then, in an atmosphere of indifference, without any prior notion of possible developments regarding the factors that undermine peace and stability in the Middle East.
The Israelis managed to unify their ranks behind Sharon, forming an integrated government from various parties and currents, and thereby indicating that Israel was turning its back on the peace process and is ready for a confrontation in which it will not hesitate to use force. The Arab parties, in contrast, have not altered their positions to fit these developments. If the Amman summit manages to accomplish anything at all, in fact, it will have been to conceal the bitter disputes raging among the Arab nations regarding, for instance, the vexed question of Iraq, so as to prevent sharp divisions from triggering an all-out explosion.
Perhaps the most important of the dangers at hand is related to the consequences of America giving up its role in managing the peace process directly. Sharon's recent talks in Washington indicate that America will reduce its role to backing the Israelis all the way, looking on rather than participating in the game. The concerned parties can resolve their differences as they see fit. This is a far cry from the American position following the Gulf War, on which its policy in the region is based. From the Arab viewpoint, the prospective compensation for entering an alliance against Iraq was the American promise to resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict in a manner leading to security and justice. If the US is reneging on that promise now, must the Arabs seek allies like Russia, or reconsider their US relations?
The situation is not only unfair, it is deceptive, for America withdraws from the arena having made sure that the balance of power is wholly in Israel's favour. Israel is confident that America will not interfere with its plans to impose its agenda by force of arms on the Palestinians, and on Syria and Lebanon, as reflected in Sharon's outrageous demands (that the Bush administration not invite Arafat to Washington, cut military aid to Egypt and prevent UN observers from entering Palestinian regions) -- not to mention his threats to Syria and Lebanon. Sharon, in other words, has planted a timed bomb in the region.
The summit may well simply produce decisions that will never be implemented: witness the tragic joke of financial aid for the Palestinians. Yet it is crucial that realism, transparency and credibility predominate. Not only should previous decisions be implemented, the summit must confront new challenges with new ideas to match. At the very least, it must put an end to disagreements about Iraq, back up the Palestinians and reject "solutions" imposed by force. The summit must also adopt strict policies on all dealings with Israel.
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