Commentary

3rd May 1998

Palestine: approach with a new vigour

By Mervyn de Silva

Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu will meet UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan on May 15. Meanwhile President Bill Clinton has praised Chairman Yasser Arafat, the PLO leader, for making "concessions to break the deadlock in the peace process...."

But for the UN and the US there would be no state named Israel in Palestine. But the historic contribution of Britain cannot be forgotten. Why? The short answer is the Balfour Declaration.

"What the Balfour Declaration gave to the world was a Pandora's box of political rivalry, chicanery, bloodshed, suffering and war. Its consequences continue to disturb not only Palestine but almost every other country," wrote Eugene Fisher and Cherif Bassioni in "STORM OVER THE ARAB WORLD". The eminent Arnold Toynbee, then working at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, said in a foreword: "The storm over the Arab world buffets not only the Arabs themselves and the Israelis but also people all around the globe: for example, the diasporan Jewish Zionists in the United States and the European and Japanese customers for the Arab world's mineral oil.

"The sudden fabulous wealth of those Arab countries in which oil has been struck while the storm has been lowering is one of the few factors in international politics today."

Readers would surely note a strange coincidence. DESERT STORM was the name the US and its allies chose for their spectacular combined operation against Iraq's President Saddam Hussein when he did his historic land-grab -a province of Kuwait which he claimed was Iraqi territory in the ancient past. He did try to reinforce his oil-power through his expansionist policies, and Iran, a major producer, was another target. His defiance is limitless, his quest for glory, and for the affection and admiration of the Iraqi masses is now a fact of life in the region's day-to-day affairs.

CONFLICT RESOLUTION

Though President Saddam Hussein may claim the most headlines by his sheer defiance and a genius for attracting the international and regional media, the United States and the United Nations, it is the Arab-Israeli conflict that claims the continuing concern of all these major actors. And conflict - resolution is item No. I on the common agenda. The end to 'the longest war' northern Ireland, has given advocates of "conflict resolution", a new self-confidence.

And so to a "facilitator", now a key player in the diplomatic drama. Who else but President Mubarak? For two important reasons: (i) Egypt is the major Arab power, respected by the United States, Russia, China, Japan and the European community.

(ii) Egypt made the historic breakthrough, President Anwar Sadat, a brave man who knew the risks involved. He was prepared to sacrifice his life.

And so we saw Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fly to Cairo for another exchange with President Hosni Mubarak.

As the President of Egypt, he cannot be excluded from any exercise that concerns Arab interests. The 50-year Arab-Israeli conflict is the vital issue for the Arab League.

The struggle against Israel transcends all other problems, many that involve a clash of interests between Arab States.

Mr. Amr Musa, the Egyptian Foreign Minister told AFP the time has come to respect commitments and transparently implement the accords. While "accord" is a term familiar to Sri Lankans, the negotiating process on Palestine is of course far more complex.

While the main "contradiction" for Israel is the issue of Palestinian statehood, there are many other players and problems; for instance, Chirman Arafat may be killed by a Zionist hothead or a Jewish fundamentalist, he is more likely to be assassinated as a 'traitor' by HAMAS, the Islamic extremist or fundamentalist movement, which has already dealt with members of other Palestinian groups summarily.

Such groups have spread out in many neighbouring countries.

Although the charismatic Muammar Gaddafi of Libya is no "fundamentalist" American propaganda has worked hard to project an image of Colonel Gaddafi as a Moslem hothead.

He is not. Neither is he an Arab Marxist of the Castro type. He is an Arab nationalist, who may deserve the other fashionable title "radical".

But much of it is glamour style, a popular Anti-Americanism. But Washington (long before Clinton) pinned the badge that wins votes for any American presidential candidate particularly if he is the Lyndon Johnson or George Bush - type, the tough guys from the West. Gaddafi is on all the walls, in airports, supermarkets, parliament houses etc. THE MOST WANTED MAN.

In the old days, he would have been gunned down by a hired assassin. But that's out of fashion.

Hulftsdorp Hill

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