Europe's role

By Salama A Salama

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Europe is cleaning up the mess Israel and the US have left in the region. Europe is sifting through the rubble, removing mines and unexploded shells, and generally collecting the political garbage left behind by Israel's war on Lebanon. But Europe is doing nothing to end the aggression. What is worse, Europe is even helping Israel achieve what it couldn't do through war, for example, the liquidation of Hizbullah and the release of Israeli captives. Will this help restore Europe's standing in the Middle East? I think not.

When France hesitated in participating in the multinational forces, Italy -- not normally a major player in Middle East problems -- offered 3,000 troops in order to motivate France to do the same. In Stockholm, a conference of donor countries pledged 700 million euros to repair the devastation Israel has left behind in Lebanon, in addition to 350 million euros to address the tragic situation in the Palestinian territories. But the political problem that led to the capture of the two soldiers and the attack on Lebanon remains neglected.

Europe cannot address the inherent cause of regional trouble, because Israel won't let it. Incapable of addressing the problems of occupation and unable to check Israel's aggressive streak, Europe is restricted to the provision of janitor services, so to speak. It cleans up the mess, but the mess is not going to end. The US is causing much of it. The US is letting disaster simmer in Palestine. The US has triggered a civil war in Iraq. The US is pushing the world to a confrontation in Darfur. And the US is brewing a major crisis with Iran. Everything that US policy touches becomes a catastrophe.

Time was that Europe tried to compensate for the bias of US foreign policy. Not anymore. Europe has taken a passive stand on the war in Lebanon. It failed to intervene when Israel was pummelling Lebanon. Indeed, countries such as Germany were selling nuclear submarines to Israel just as the latter was bombarding Lebanese civilians. When Israel demanded more time to destroy Lebanon, Europe said nothing. And to this day Israel maintains an aerial, land and sea blockade on Lebanon. All the Europeans are interested in is disarming Hizbullah and liquidating Hamas, not ending Israel's occupation of Arab lands.

Europe is promising help to Lebanon. Even the US has pledged $230 million for reconstruction. I am not urging Lebanon to turn down such assistance, for that money is merely a compensation for Israel's deeds. Ironically, European countries have voted in the UN Human Rights Council against a decision denouncing Israel's attack on Lebanese civilians. Obviously, Europe is taking its cue from the Americans and Israelis.

Due to US opposition, the Arabs cannot get the UN Security Council to discuss the situation in the Middle East. Some EU countries now say they want to revive the Quartet and the roadmap. What good can come out of that? The recycling of old ideas is useless. What could have been helpful is for Europe to recognise that both Hizbullah and Hamas are influential players and that Syria wants the Golan Heights back.

Europe cannot restore its role in the Middle East simply by sending troops to Lebanon. The world, including Israel and the US, should recognise that regional turbulence is a direct result of Israel's policy of expansion and its tactics of aggression. This is the political battle that Europe should fight. If Europe really wants to end the conflict in the Middle East, it has to confront the US and Israel.