Issue No. 605
Editorial
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26 Sept. - 2 October 2002 Issue No. 605 Editorial |
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 | Recommend this page | ||
The price of impunity
On Tuesday the Security Council called on Israel to end its siege of Palestinian President Yasser Arafat's headquarters in Ramallah. The vote was unanimous, save for the US abstaining. The resolution demanded "the withdrawal of the Israeli occupying forces from Palestinian cities", and a "return to positions held prior to September 2000".
Commentators have differed in their assessment of the significance of the US abstention. Some read it as a reflection of concerns over the deteriorating situation in the occupied territories. Others believe the decision not to veto the resolution was an attempt to persuade Arab countries to accept any resolutions that Washington may push the Security Council to issue on Iraq.
Whatever Washington's motives, Israel's reaction to the resolution was predictable as it once again chose to defy the UN and international opinion. Tel Aviv simply said no, proving once again that the government of Ariel Sharon will do exactly as it pleases, and with the usual impunity.
Were it not for its long history of never being held to account, Israel would be unable to behave in such a way. Were it not for the unquestioning support Sharon receives in Washington, he would not be able to strut with such confidence, would not be able to provoke the crises he so obviously relishes, and on which his confrontational and violent strategies depend.
Beyond even the shortest term, Israel's refusal to abide by the norms of international behaviour can do nothing but harm Israel's own interests. Already Arabs have found US and British propaganda seeking to justify the war on Iraq unpalatable. Already Washington's standing among Arabs is at an all time low. And now Sharon is determined to expose, if further exposure were necessary, the double standards that underlie America's policy in the region.
And the result of Tel Aviv's refusal to comply with the resolution has been a ground swell of support for the beleaguered Arafat. Palestinians took to the streets in their thousands, ignoring the tanks and trigger-happy soldiers of the occupying army. Israeli actions, once again, have acted to bolster the solidarity of resistance.
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