27 Sep. - 3 Oct. 2001
Issue No.553
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 27 Sep. - 3 Oct. 2001 Issue No.553 |
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Rally round the flag
The Palestinian cause is one of the quintessential pan-Arab slogans, writes Khaled Dawoud; so just where is Arab support?
The petrifying images of 12-year-old Mohamed Al-Dorra crying for help before Israeli soldiers brutally shot him dead a year ago triggered outpourings of Arab outrage and solidarity. The pictures became the symbol of Palestinian suffering under Israeli colonial occupation: they were printed on the banners carried by demonstrators in cities throughout the Arab world, and calls for war were heard even in Egypt and Jordan, both of which are bound by peace agreements with Tel Aviv. Songs of praise for the Intifada and the Palestinian martyrs rang out on the Arab airwaves. Boycott lists of Israeli and American products and companies circulated in offices, factories and even elementary schools. Confirming the effectiveness of this popular movement, perhaps for the first time in the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict, many of the companies issued statements denying they supported Israel or offered it donations.
Pressured by the mass grief and anger, Arab leaders were prompted to take action. An emergency meeting was held in Cairo in mid-October to discuss ways of supporting the Intifada. Arab leaders pledged $1 billion in support of Jerusalem (where Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's visit to Al- Haram Al-Sharif triggered the second uprising) and of the families of Palestinians killed by Israeli troops. They also said they would freeze all political contacts with Israel and demanded that Israeli officials who had committed war crimes against Palestinians be brought to justice before an international tribunal.
But when it came to paying up, matters moved more slowly. Arab leaders debated whether the money should go directly to Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, and wondered whether their donations would actually reach the Palestinian people. It took them over six months to settle the issue. At a second summit in Amman in March, they decided to provide the Palestinian Authority with a fixed amount of $150 million dollars each month, mainly to compensate for crippling unemployment rates in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and to pay the running costs of the Palestinian government and police forces.
Suspension of ties with Israel also became a source of controversy, and sometimes led to the exchange of heated accusations among Arab states. Egypt and Jordan explained that they could not freeze relations because of their peace agreements. Qatari and Mauritanian foreign ministers also held meetings with Israeli officials, to the dismay of the other Arab regimes. When the Damascus-based Israel Boycott Office called a meeting, representatives of only 12 countries turned up.
In television interviews aired by Arab satellite channels, which also became extremely popular when the Intifada started, Palestinians repeatedly expressed their frustration with the low level of Arab support. Many said that what they needed was not money, but real political support from governments known for their close links with the United States. By maintaining relations and failing to make it clear that Washington's interests would be at stake if it gave Israel a free hand in killing Palestinians, the Arab regimes were doing nothing to help the cause, activists and PA officials argued.
When reporters persisted in asking him what kind of "practical measures" Arab leaders were taking to end the massacre, Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa replied angrily: "What do you want us to do? Go to war against America? We are not after newspaper headlines here." He added: "The situation is very critical and we have to think wisely about how to deal with it." Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher, also under pressure from reporters, explained: "We don't have to take decisions every time we meet. There is a continuous process of consultation and coordination to face the current crisis."
The same governments that are providing the Palestinians with statements of denunciation and condemnation, however, are also worried about the possible effect growing pro-Palestinian sentiments will have on domestic stability. In Jordan, the closest to Palestine, police have suppressed demonstrations violently several times. The same has happened in Egypt, where the police are not overly fond of demonstrations of any kind. In Syria, too, the guardian of Arab nationalism, authorities anxious at the prospect of popular anger spiralling out of control have ordered Palestinians to stop holding rallies. North African states -- Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco and Libya -- have not witnessed the massive demonstrations seen during the Gulf War, mainly due to government restrictions. On the other hand, unprecedented support was shown at the beginning of the Intifada in Oman, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait.
In most Arab countries, security agencies believe that demonstrations that rally around pro-Palestinian slogans can turn into anti-government protests focused on many other problems, from unemployment to human rights abuses. Many pro- Palestinian organisations have been forced to restrict their activities to small meetings and seminars.
Against this backdrop, Iraqi President Saddam Hussein seems something of a hero to many Palestinians. The Iraqi flag flutters next to the Palestinian colours and those of Lebanon's Hizbullah in demonstrations within Palestine. Hussein has been popular in Palestine since he launched Scud missiles on Israeli targets during the Gulf War. While most Arabs were aware that this was an Iraqi propaganda campaign to justify its occupation of Kuwait, many Palestinians saw him as a saviour.
Shortly after the Intifada started, the Iraqi president also declared war on Israel and mobilised an army of six million volunteers. The United States and Britain vetoed Iraq's decision to donate a billion Euros of its oil revenues in support of the Intifada. Families of Palestinian martyrs have confirmed in many interviews that the only regular checks they receive from abroad are those the Iraqi leader sends.
Yet most Arab governments still accuse Saddam Hussein of trying to benefit from the Palestinian cause so that the Arab masses will pressure their governments to intercede for removal of UN sanctions that have suffocated his country for 11 years.
Following the 11 September bombings in New York and Washington, many Arab analysts began debating the future of the Intifada. With the world concentrating on the anticipated US strike against Afghanistan, many Arabs fear Israel will be given a free hand to suppress the Palestinian people further, and make a political settlement impossible. Other observers believe the Arab countries must make their participation in a campaign against terror conditional on its reconsideration of US policy on Israel.
In 1991, the United States knew the Arabs would not support the alliance against Iraq if it did not pressure Israel to take part in the Madrid peace conference and accept the principle of land for peace. Today, the situation is more dangerous still; and Arab support will be vital in any US anti-terror campaign.
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