14 - 20 March 2002
Issue No.577
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 14 - 20 March 2002 Issue No.577 |
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Successful resistance
There are some signs of a reduction in the unsustainable level of tension in the region since Sharon abandoned his pervious conditions for a return to negotiations -- i.e. a seven-day cease-fire.
This might be what led the US to dispatch Anthony Zinni to the region following President Mubarak's visit to Washington. The US had previously made any future visit by its special envoy to the region conditional on a halt in violence.
On the table is the Saudi initiative: it will have a great impact on the atmosphere surrounding attempts to resolve the crisis, especially if the Beirut summit succeeds in endorsing a unified Arab position.
Behind such fledgling developments lies a single factor -- the Palestinian resistance. And it is undoubtedly true that the Palestinian resistance has achieved a semblance of victory by asserting its legitimate right to statehood and refusing to compromise this right under any kind of pressure. The Palestinian resistance has succeeded in gaining international support and sympathy for what might be considered the most important liberation struggle of the 21st century. It has also exposed the absolute failure of Sharon's policies to deliver on election promises to provide Israelis with peace and security.
The Israelis have now begun to express their disappointment at this failure, as recent opinion polls, revealing that 56 per cent of Israeli voters have turned against Sharon, show.
Based on an interview by Mohamed Salmawy.
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