Days of deceit

By Salama A Salama

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It is now clear to all how tenuous the Arab scene has become. One does not need to look far between the lines or wait for analysts to provide insight. With or without an Arab summit, the picture is grim.

Sharon goes to Washington in the wake of an Egyptian-US summit, one preceded with numerous meetings and splendid words on how crucial US- Egyptian ties are. Then the US administration dazzles the world. It turns its back not just on its own promises but also on solid international commitments. It gives Israel's prime minister written guarantees that all his wishes are to be realised. He can withdraw unilaterally from Gaza and forget about the 1967 border and refugee rights.

Sharon goes back home, triumphantly, and orders the assassination of Al-Rantisi, just as he ordered the assassination of Sheikh Yassin before him. The entire world denounces the unjustified assassination, except the Americans. Praising Sharon's brave decisions, Bush impudently calls on the Palestinian people and the Arabs to benefit from the bounty of peace Sharon is offering.

The US says it knew nothing of plans to assassinate Al-Rantisi, but Sharon begs to differ. He told Bush that he was no longer committed to Arafat's safety and that targetted killings of resistance leaders would continue. The US insouciantly notes that it does not want Arafat harmed. In other words, Israel can get rid of Arafat by other means. Israeli forces are now likely to detain Arafat and his associates in Ramallah and throw them all in Gaza, away from the West Bank, so that Sharon may win the support of right wing parties.

The White House has given its stamp of approval to Sharon's plan. The world's hyper-power, a power that deems itself only entitled to speak in the name of international law and legitimacy, has shifted its Middle East policy in a dramatic manner. And what is the Arab reaction? Shock and alarm in Egypt. The postponement of a scheduled meeting between Bush and King Abdallah of Jordan. A torrent of empty warnings about what would happen were Arafat to be assassinated. This was the reaction.

The Palestinians panic. They know Sharon's threats are not empty. They know that these threats will be carried out somehow, just as the separation wall was built, just as Yassin and Al- Rantisi were assassinated, just as the roadmap was thrown to the roadside.

Once Arafat is out of the way, through murder or exile, many would let out a sigh of relief. The ensuing battle for succession would be a good time for Sharon and Bush to achieve their goals. And Bush would have a chance to win the elections. This weak president, a man whose only claim to success is confronting terror in the most haphazard manner, is poised to win a second term. When this happens, the scene will be set to destroy whatever power the Arabs still have.

The scene is ghastly. What is particularly galling is the patronising spatter coming out of the mouths of US and UK envoys. The US ambassador in Cairo finds none of this embarrassing, insisting that the Palestinians should make use of Sharon's schemes. The UK ambassador, meanwhile, defends Tony Blair's non-committal, duplicitous and immoral policy, a policy that has tarnished Britain's image, dragging it through the mud, thanks to Blair's inconsistency, his blind support for Bush, and his clear collusion with Sharon.

One cannot blame the foreign envoys for being deceitful. But I fault Egyptian diplomacy for failing to see this coming, for failing to see how far US deception would go. From now on, let's expect the worst.