I was astonished by the US using its veto to impede international opposition to Israel's threat to deport Yasser Arafat. Following its adventures in Iraq Washington should be trying to court the favour of the international community. With this veto, though, it has made yet more enemies while once again demonstrating both its blind bias for Israel and its refusal to respect positions adopted unanimously by the rest of the world.
I read in the newspapers that the American ambassador to Egypt met recently with Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher and Arab League Secretary- General Amr Moussa to inform them that Washington opposed Israel's decision to banish Arafat. Hours later Washington vetoed a resolution that expressed that very opposition. This is precisely the kind of duplicity that soils America's image among Arabs. It reinforces the commonly held belief that Washington is by-now incapable of adopting a position objective enough to allow for a just resolution of the Palestinian issue.
Is it, then, even remotely surprising that some see armed struggle as the only alternative, leading us all back to square one.
I was astonished by the US using its veto to impede international opposition to Israel's threat to deport Yasser Arafat. Following its adventures in Iraq Washington should be trying to court the favour of the international community. With this veto, though, it has made yet more enemies while once again demonstrating both its blind bias for Israel and its refusal to respect positions adopted unanimously by the rest of the world.
