Soap-box:
Sorting out Palestine
By
Diaa Rashwan
The US-UK occupation of Iraq will have a long-lasting effect on the region, particularly as far as Palestine is concerned. The occupation will not end soon, this much US commanders have made clear. So now we have another occupied country in the eastern part of the region to keep company with Palestine.
Efforts to resolve the Palestinian problem have consistently failed because of Washington's unconditional support for Israel. And now that the US is in the region, acting and talking tough, it is extremely unlikely that Israel will be in the mood to make peace. If anything, Tel Aviv's extremist government will seize on current developments as an opportunity to drive the Palestinians into an even tighter corner and snuff out any remaining hope for a decent settlement.
The US is currently attempting to revive peace talks between the Palestinians and Israel. It has come up with a roadmap and sent its secretary of state to give the Palestinians a piece of his mind. But how can you achieve peace in the region by siding with the one occupation force that exists in the region, and then adding an occupation of your own to the list of regional woes?
American efforts to sort out Iraq are questionable. Its attempts to sort out Palestine, under present circumstances, are risible.
This week's Soapbox speaker is an expert at the Al-Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies.
