12 - 18 July 2001
Issue No.542
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 12 - 18 July 2001 Issue No.542 |
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The civil solution
At the present time, it is safe to say that agreements with US intelligence (in the form of the CIA-sponsored Tenet plan) have failed to secure a cease-fire in Palestine, and that US Secretary of State Colin Powell has failed to implement the Mitchell report's recommendations. While Europe humours Sharon in an attempt to prevent him from going ahead with his insane plans to occupy yet more Palestinian land and assassinate or exile Arafat, the Palestinians have no one to turn to except human rights organisations.
Both Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have demanded that international observers be sent to Gaza and the West Bank to report on the daily abuses Israel inflicts on the Palestinians, and to determine to what extent each side's claims reflect the conflict's reality. Arafat has long demanded the presence of such observers, but Israel has always refused, with America's support. This is how the aggressor has been able to fabricate facts and falsify events without the need for evidence or proof.
With the support of the Arab League, however, the Palestinian Authority can achieve its goal and bring in observers by cooperating with AI and HRW. Observers on the ground could tell the world what is happening, and no one would accuse them of partiality. Even if many Arab countries refrain from cooperating with these two organisations in other fields, they enjoy the respect of the international community and command a high degree of credibility. If America continues to oppose the notion of international observers, and Europe fails to convince America or Israel that they are necessary, resorting to the support of human rights organisations may be the only way of refuting Sharon's claims that Arafat has instigated the violence. As long as the UN remains crippled, such organisations may be the only way the truth about Israel's expansionist policies and daily violations of international law can be revealed to the world.
Last week an Arab member of the Knesset suggested forming international civil "peace brigades" whose purpose would be to create a buffer between the Israeli occupation troops and the Palestinians. This proposal was based on the premise that Sharon may well be preparing for an attack as unjustified, unethical and barbarous as the Sabra and Shatila massacres.
It could be possible to combine the "peace brigades" with human rights volunteers to form a bloc of observers who can take stock of what is going on in the occupied territories without intervening in any way. This group would at least take on the responsibility of awakening the conscience of the international community and opening people's eyes to the reality of Palestinian suffering. Perhaps no one will help the Palestinians replant the trees the Israelis have uprooted, or rebuild houses they have razed; at least, however, the world will be aware of Sharon's plans.
This idea can be implemented quite rapidly, particularly with the cooperation of human rights organisations in France and elsewhere in Europe. Arab governments too can offer help without intervention, by ensuring that Arab civil institutions enjoy freedom of communication and coordination. For it is only by regaining the support of international public opinion that Israel's American- sanctioned brutality can be confronted.
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