Middle-east Arab News Opinion | Asharq Al-awsat

Without Morals | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
Select Page

In the realm of political comedy, incumbent American President George W. Bush can only be ranked as one of the most ‘agreeable’ and humorous individuals. For how could his recent remarks about his belief that a full-fledged and comprehensive peace agreement between the Arabs and Palestinians on the one hand, and Israel on the other, be taken seriously – especially in the wake of the abominable massacre committed by Israel army personnel? The number of victims exceeded 110, mostly women and children, let alone the dozens of injured and displaced in the aftermath of the barbaric bombardment.

It is no longer possible to convince the Arab masses that the Israeli butchering operations and the irrational blockade imposed on Gaza are in the best interests of the peace process, as the extremists in the US administration have been promoting it. They are the same ones who advocate the Israeli government’s modus operandi.

However, the role of Hamas cannot be overlooked; with its reckless management of situations and its surrendering to the inclinations of some regional parties, it has contributed to escalating the situation in order to achieve personal and limited political gains.

Meanwhile, Israel neither wants peace nor makes the required concessions necessary for peace. From a humanitarian perspective, the Palestinians are living under unacceptable conditions and thus silence in the face of the Israeli crimes can never be justified whether morally, politically or ideologically. With its latest crime, Israel has added another chapter to the expanding black record of the Jewish state’s crimes in the Middle East.

Hamas, that wonderful resistance project that was launched as ‘hope for tomorrow’ and a party that can contribute to the liberation of the occupied territories has mutated into a politicized tool to serve the interests of others and which backstabs and accuses fellow brethren. This used to be the greatest taboo in what defined the Palestinian cause and its resistance veterans.

Nothing remains of the peace talks except for a few chairs and tables on which there are pens and papers. There is Israeli conviction that a significant number of Palestinian leaders can be eliminated in swift operations amidst enforced silence. Likewise, there are Palestinian convictions that Israel is not serious about attaining peace, and the events currently unfolding on the ground are a testimony to that.

As such, George Bush’s statement, amidst this bloody scene, and his confirmation that peace is possible seems to be a joke and the very last breath of lies from an administration that has made no achievements on any level in any region of the world.

Israel, however, is not concerned by the decisions that are issued against it; the human rights reports against its actions have not led to anything, same as Mohamed ElBaradei’s reservations about its nuclear program (he downplayed the issue immediately), the issued UN resolutions and the terms of the Geneva convention relating to the treatment of prisoners of war – all of which were to no avail. The fate of these concerns was tossed into the political wastebasket – with Israeli pride. And yet all of this is perpetrated by the “only democratic state in the Middle East”, as classified by the American administration and the decision-making, research and support centers and the centers for research consultancy.

Palestinian ‘news’ no longer occupies the front page of Arab bulletins since this position has since been occupied by the Lebanese political ‘swindling’ and the Iraqi ‘internal’ madness. While the Israeli army’s criminal practices against the Palestinians are deemed undeserving of space in the international news, there is a conscience awakening on an international scale in pursuit of the truth. This wave might have even reached the US itself, according to various articles and interviews.

Israel has lost its moral capacity as a state and people by maintaining silence on the “holocaust” it has declared against the Palestinians. This is an evil that the world will never be silent about. What happened in South Africa and India should serve as examples worthy of consideration.