Arab Cover for Gaza Massacre

Abdel Bari Atwan

Failure of the Arab foreign ministers at their meeting in Cairo to take any position to confront the continuing Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip, confirms the theory that says the Israeli aggression has come as a result of coordination and the blessing of influential Arab states, especially Egypt and Saudi Arabia -the two countries who opposed convening an emergency Arab summit to discuss the situation in the Gaza Strip, raising the Palestinian division as an excuse.The meeting of the Arab foreign ministers was a rare occasion for the oicial Arab regimes to acquit themselves of the charge of colluding with the aggression. Instead, they confirmed it and even boasted about it and continued with it, giving the Israeli warplanes and tanks an Arab cover and the time they needed to accomplish the mission of annihilating the largest possible number of the people of the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli aggression is in its sixth day. Israeli warplanes of all shapes and sizes are continuing the bombardment of civilian houses, but this tremendous military machine has failed to stop the firing of rockets into Israel. Instead, it has increased their number and has now reached the Israeli hinterland.

These 'in vain' rockets, as moderate Arabs wish to call them, have brought life to a standstill in seven large Israeli cities, such as Ashdod, Ashqelon and Beersheba, and driven about a million Israelis into the shelters. Those Israeli citizens who came from various parts of the world to enjoy the stolen Palestinian land, in a secure and stable environment, are now finding their dreams gradually evaporating for the second time in two years. The first time, it was the rockets Hezbollah that rained on the northern regions, and now, the rockets of the other wing of the Islamic resistance -the 'Sunni' resistance -striking the cities and settlements in the southern regions.

During the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 2006, the Western world kept silent for several days to give the Israeli warplanes and tanks enough time to uproot the Islamic resistance. The Arabs of moderation colluded with this and even prepared to celebrate the imminent Israeli victory, kept themselves away from the resistance, and blamed the responsibility for the war on the resistance, not on the Israelis. Now, at least on the European side, times have changed. European states are holding meetings and proposing initiatives for an early cease-fire because they are aware of what the Arab leaders are not aware of, namely, that this aggression, like its predecessor [of 2006] will not achieve its objective in uprooting Hamas and will lead to exactly the opposite; it will strengthen it and weaken the 'moderates' on the Palestinian and the Arab level.

European leaders have begun to feel that the Israeli military stupidity of killing innocent civilians and destroying civilian objects, such as the buildings of the Palestinian Legislative Council [Parliament], the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Education have perhaps started to constitute a dangerous security threat to European states, their citizens and vital amenities, such as airports and railway stations.

If the huge civilian losses during the US occupation of Iraq were the direct incentive for exploding trains in London in the summer of 2005, and in Madrid the year before, the images of the martyred children of Gaza, whose tender little bodies were torn by the Israeli rockets, may have an even stronger impact on angry hard-line Islamists in Europe and the sleeping and active cells of Al-Qa'idah and its North African branch. We might even witness the birth of more bloody intransigent organizations.

Europe should distance itself from this Israeli aggression by standing against it. It might pay a high price for the additional seat that the Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni or Defence Minister Ehud Baraq might win in the Knesset. The ugly political selfishness on the part of some Israeli politicians might lead the world, and not just the Middle East, into a dangerous phase of instability, violence and terrorism.

European leaders would be wise to remember that there is a volcano of anger on the other side of the Mediterranean, expressing itself in huge demonstrations, exerting pressure on the 'moderate' governments cooperating with the European Union in its plans to counter terrorism and prevent secret illegal immigration. We should contemplate these governments responding to popular pressure and reducing, not to say stopping, their security coordination with their European neighbours and the impact of that on European security.

Diplomatic activities are necessary, provided they are supported by Arab pressure, and are not used as forums for begging and ill-thought initiatives. The West is in need of the Arabs this time, as it goes through diicult financial and economic circumstances. The Arabs are among the few states that can help them out of their diicult situation.

The problem of the Arab system is that it exports its crises for others to solve. It wanted the United States to rid it of the regime of Saddam Husayn, and now wants Israel to rid it of the Islamic resistance in Gaza, and it is prepared to pay all the cost, as well as the value added, plus interest. How generous they are with the United States and Europe and even, perhaps, with Israel as well.

The Israeli aggression on Gaza is the ugliest, the rudest and most cowardly. The Israeli air raids are pouring hell on a 'caged' people under siege. Imagine a man shooting and killing a caged lion and then calling his action victory or revenge. This was done to the Iraqi people, and now it is done once again in Gaza. It is the same military school of thought, the same generals and same culture.

For the Arab leaders and the chiefs of sta of their armies' to remain silent -that is something to be expected of people who have become accustomed to humiliation, powerlessness and oppression of their people. But for the democratic 'civilized' West that kept lecturing us about Human rights for decades, to remain silent while the crimes are being committed in the Gaza Strip -that would be shameful by any standard. Western leaders have launched a fierce campaign again Zimbabwe's regime of Robert Mugabe because of the spread of cholera in his country. They have called for toppling his regime, even though they knew that the spread of cholera was a result of boycotting his country. Why do they not take the same position when they see Palestinian children killed by rockets and planes made in the West?

Israel defeated the regular armies of three Arab states in six days, by the extensive use of its Air Force and a minimum use of tanks, in the war of 1967. But has already admitted that aerial bombardment will not decide its war against the resistance movements in Gaza; in spite of the terrorist raids it has been launching against innocent civilians, and has failed to kill one single fighter from the brigades of Al-Qassam, Al-Quds, the Popular Committees or Al-Aqsa brigades. These forces have learnt from Hezbollah's experience and have gone underground, sheltering in the tunnels and waiting for the real war. This explains why no fighters are to be seen in the streets waving their guns; unlike they used to do in the past. They are eagerly awaiting the ground oensive, or so we believe.

We cannot predict the results of any ground oensive; but we can say that the Israeli tanks failed to advance a few yards when they reached the entrances of Western Beirut in the attack of 1982, and the resistance lasted for 82 days. The same thing happened in the summer of 2006, and before that it happened in the Jenin Camp when it took the Israeli tanks ten days to occupy it and they lost 26 soldiers and oicers in that operation.

The men of the resistance, who are defending their families and honour in Gaza, might add a new legendary battle of steadfastness, that might inflame the Arab street with demonstrations and confrontations with the colluding Arab governments that are 'cowed' by Israel and the United States.

The Arab and Islamic nations are waiting for the spark that will produce the change that restores to them their honour and dignity and rids them of the shame of the defeats they suered in their modern history.

I have been in contact with my brothers, sisters and cousins in Gaza over the past six days, inquiring about the situation. The picture is painful -no water, no electricity, no food, no gas and even no wood to use as fuel. One of my brothers asked: "Where are the tons of Arab humanitarian aid they are boasting of on satellite TV channels? Where are the hundreds of trucks they told us crossed the border? There is not one single sack of flour in the market. He went on to say: "I stood in the bread queue for two hours, and when my turn came the shopkeeper said sorry, we ran out of bread.

A cousin of mine said: "The biggest problem we face is not the shortage of food or lack of it, or the electric power cuts, or the shattered glass of the house windows and the cold weather; at least the house still has walls, compared to those whose houses have been blown up. The real problem is how to deal with the children who are terrorized by the sound of Israeli warplanes, as they attack their targets and fire rockets. The children who survive this ordeal will be physically disabled with chronic mental disorders.

The people I spoke with were unanimous in their support of the resistance and readiness to sacrifice in defence of their targeted Gaza Strip. What caught my attention this time, is that they did not ask: where are the Arab armies? And they did not blame anyone. That is perhaps because they have already despaired, perhaps it was pride, or perhaps they felt too proud to ask for 'little things'.

However, one statement kept echoing in my head: "Uncle, it is more dignifying for us to die by Israeli bullets and rocket shrapnel, defending our honour and dignity, than to die by starvation or disease," said my nephew. This statement was more eloquent than all the declarations of Arab foreign ministers and the summits of their leaders'. I am sorry ... there is no room for comparison. God bless them, He will grant them victory. The brave people of Gaza will surely resist, even when they are caged. They have been standing steadfastly under the hell of fire and bombs. One hundred tons of explosives were dropped on their poor, ramshackle houses, but they did not raise the white flag and continued firing their primitive rockets at the same time as they continued burying their fallen martyrs, with pride and dignity. They are one of the most dignified peoples on earth.