19 - 25 April 2001
Issue No.530
|
Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 19 - 25 April 2001 Issue No.530 |
||
| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 | Current issue | Previous issue | Site map | ||
Unpredictability made clearer
Israel's determination to pick fights with its neighbours has soured any prospect of reviving peace talks
Relations between Cairo an Tel Aviv have become increasingly strained following Israel's Monday attack against a Syrian radar post in Lebanon and its invasion of parts of the Gaza Strip the following day.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's latest actions drew an angry response from President Hosni Mubarak, who warned Sharon "not to overstep the boundaries" on Tuesday, and to "stop picking fights".
"I ask [Sharon] to be realistic and pragmatic because violence begets violence. This is faulty policy and its aftermath will be terrible," Mubarak told reporters following talks with Palestinian President Yasser Arafat. "What is taking place does not suggest that the region is approaching peace."
Mubarak spelled out his pessimism over the future of the peace process if Israel's right-wing government does not pull back from its aggressive stance, and warned that time is fast running out for Sharon to prove a measure of good will towards achieving a peaceful settlement.
"At the beginning I was very cautious in my statements, but now the picture is much clearer. [Sharon] wants to pick fights with all around him," Mubarak said. Nor, the president made clear, is Egypt's ambassador to Tel Aviv, who was recalled in November, likely to return to his post any time soon. "We cannot send him back because [Sharon's] actions do not serve stability and security."
Foreign Minister Amr Moussa also lashed out against events of the past few days, calling Sharon's recent actions "foolish and fanatical."
A senior Egyptian diplomat, speaking to Al-Ahram Weekly on condition of anonymity, argued that "Sharon has changed the rules of the game, and our view now is that the Israeli leadership has become unpredictable."
"The attack against the Syrian post is detrimental to the peace process and it appears Sharon calculated it deftly," said the source, explaining that the bombing came at a time when the debate within Lebanon regarding the Syrian presence was beginning to abate.
"With this move, Sharon not only capitalised on that debate but also made sure it will be rekindled."
The escalation of aggression by the Israelis against the seven-month-old Intifada is part of a "continuous policy of pressure against the Palestinians regardless of whether they provoke it or not," said the diplomat.
The Mubarak-Arafat meeting came hours after Israel's latest incursion in Palestinian-controlled territories and its unilateral closure of the Egyptian-Israeli-Palestinian border crossing at Rafah.
Mubarak and Arafat debated ideas for relaunching the peace process within the framework of an Egyptian-Jordanian proposal, promoted by the leaders of both countries during separate visits to Washington earlier this month.
Arafat had arrived in Egypt following talks with Jordan's King Abdullah, during which the Palestinian president was briefed about the monarch's visit to Washington and the Jordanian foreign minister's talks with Israeli officials earlier this week. Mubarak and Abdullah were also in contact during the week to coordinate their co-sponsored proposal to end the violence and jump-start negotiations.
Mubarak brushed aside Israeli statements claiming that Jordan was playing a bigger role in relaunching peace as an attempt to drive a wedge between Cairo and Amman.
"Such rhetoric aims to sow discord, but it is futile. We are trying our best to contain the situation and I welcome Jordan's efforts," noted Mubarak.
The diplomatic source noted that the Jordanians at times "find themselves in the position where they must take tactical decisions. This does not mean that Egypt is being marginalised." The feedback from the Jordanian foreign minister's trip to Israel, he added, was that "Israel is not intent on talking peace, irrespective of what we offer. They are not serious."
In contrast to the Israeli position, Mubarak's chief political adviser Osama El-Baz said that the Palestinians were "eager to reach peace and are willing to exert the utmost effort to end the violence. They are waiting for the Israeli side to agree to the same principle."
Israel's bombing of a Syrian radar post east of Beirut drew a strongly worded statement from Mubarak calling on "international powers concerned with peace and stability in the Middle East to shoulder the responsibility of opposing Israeli aggression." The statement described the attack as "sudden and unprovoked," and warned Israel to "end these dangerous practices, respect agreements and resume negotiations where they left off."
Moussa denounced the attack as "an aggression robbing [last May's] Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon of substance."
According to the diplomatic source, consolidating world opinion against Israel is problematic. He said that "using the stick" against Tel Aviv at this point would be futile since neither Europe nor the US, each for their own reasons, are willing to intervene positively in favour of the Palestinians. One option, he suggested, would be "to show the world that Israel is wholly responsible for the current situation."
See also:
Sharon ups the ante
Playing favourites
Losing is losing is losing
This is the deal
These are the realities
There will be no knock-out
© Copyright Al-Ahram Weekly. All rights reserved
 |
|
|||||||||||||||||
| ARCHIVES Letter from the Editor Editorial Board Subscription Advertise! |
WEEKLY ONLINE: www.ahram.org.eg/weekly Updated every Saturday at 11.00 GMT, 2pm local time weeklyweb@ahram.org.eg |
 Al-Ahram Organisation |
Recommend this page