Why does the Arab world mistrust us?
by David Batstone, Executive Editor of SoJoNet
(Sojourners Magazine)
[12-19-01 - posted here on 12-22-01]
The past 15 months have been a disaster for Israeli-Palestinian
relations. Since Sept. 29, 2000, more than 1,000 people have died, over
800 of whom have been Palestinians. While violent attacks on each side
are justified under the rubric of "self-defense," they in
reality are inhumane acts that violate civilians and do little more than
fuel the flames for a counter-attack. They are locked in moral combat.
When hopes for a reasoned negotiation have devolved -
as is certainly the case in the Israeli-Palestinian struggle - a third
party with political and moral muscle must play a mediating role. No
single nation- state can play that role at the moment, given the
polarized politics that have enveloped the region historically. Despite
its problems, the United Nations is the sole international body with
legally binding powers and one that can be instrumental in constructing
a peace in the region.
Efforts toward that goal were torpedoed by the United
States this last week, however. On December 15, the United States vetoed
the United Nations Security Council Resolution to establish a monitoring
force in the West Bank and Gaza (the "Occupied Territories") -
the fact that this item was largely ignored by the mainstream U.S. media
is shameful. The U.N. Resolution "demands the immediate cessation
of all acts of violence," "resumption of negotiations,"
"condemns all acts of terror...extra-judicial executions [and]
excessive use of force," and the "resumption of
negotiations." Can you think of any more positive steps that would
need to be taken to end the conflict?
I can't, and evidently neither can most of the rest of
the world. The latest U.N. resolution was supported by 12 members of the
Council, with the UK and Norway abstaining. U.N. observers or monitoring
forces in the region have been supported by a plethora of human rights
groups and international bodies, including the U.N. High Commission on
Human Rights, Mary Robinson, the G-8 Summit, Amnesty International, and
Human Rights Watch. Of course, any one member country can block a
Security Council Resolution. It was the second time in the last year
that the U.S. has vetoed this particular resolution, and the 24th time
that the U.S. has used its veto on the question of Palestine - far more
than any other member of the Security Council.
After September 11, Americans asked why so many people
in the Arab world harbored animosity toward the United States. The
foolish answer: they are jealous of our freedoms, our democratic way of
life. I think it's more accurate to say that our lack of support for
democracy and fairness outside the boundaries of the U.S. - blind
support of Israel and almost complete disregard of the plight of
dispossessed Palestinians - eviscerates our moral standing and makes
enemies out of potential allies.
Source: SojoNet 2001 (c) http://www.sojo.net
