28 Feb. - 6 March 2002
Issue No.575
|
Al-Ahram Weekly Online 28 Feb. - 6 March 2002 Issue No.575 |
||
| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 | Current issue | Previous issue | Site map | ||
An arrest and a crisis
Arafat's detention in Ramallah, now entering its third month, reflects Sharon's ultra right-wing ideology and his erroneous conviction that humiliating the Palestinians and using brute force can put an end to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. This ideology rests on a set of superficial, simplistic propositions. The notion that, through superior power, Israel can beat the Palestinians into submission, or at least acceptance of its unilateral conditions, is direly mistaken; as a policy, force can neither guarantee Israeli security, nor end the Intifada at any level.
Arresting and imprisoning Arafat shows what Israel means by "peace." Sharon has also seen Arafat's humiliation, and the assault on the symbols of Palestinian leadership and political life, as a way of destroying Palestinian confidence.
None of this has actually happened, though. Such Israeli aims, whether latent or public, have not been achieved. On the contrary, in fact, these Israeli actions have resulted in unexpected progress on the Palestinian front. The resistance has gained stability and focused on the colonies, destroyed an Israeli tank and gathered support in the West Bank and Gaza, where Israeli reserve corps are refusing to perform military service. The campaign against Israeli policies has expanded. Sharon has lost much of his domestic credibility, while Arafat has enjoyed increased support from Palestinians and Arabs, who consistently oppose the attempt to replace him with a "more flexible" leadership.
*This week's Soapbox speaker is deputy head of the Al-Ahram Political and Strategic Studies Centre.
© 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