-Caveat Lector- >From FT (URL @ bottom)
}}}>Begin Editorial comment: Stopping Israel's Sharon Published: April 2 2002 20:19 | Last Updated: April 2 2002 20:21 Ariel Sharon has embarked on a military folly that bears disturbing resemblance to his ill-fated 1982 invasion of Lebanon. The US, which was seen by many at the time to have given Israel at least an amber light to pursue its destructive Lebanon war, should not repeat the same mistake. For Israel's sake, Washington must intervene to halt Mr Sharon's widening reoccupation of territories under Palestinian control. Memories are short in Israel - and, it would seem, in Washington too. Twenty years ago, as defence minister, Mr Sharon pledged to uproot the terrorist infrastructure of the Palestine Liberation Organisation, headed by Yassir Arafat, in what he promised would be an offensive lasting a few days. His forces, however, pushed all the way to Beirut, imposing a three-month siege on the city. Mr Arafat and the PLO were driven out of Lebanon but from the debris of war was born a deadlier enemy for Israel: the Lebanese Shia group Hizbollah. Israel was plunged into an 18-year quagmire that ended only with its unilateral withdrawal in May 2000. The Israeli prime minister has now declared another war on terrorism, this time against the Palestinian Authority of Mr Arafat, who is accused of sponsoring suicide bombers. Israeli officials speak of a three-to-four-week occupation of areas from which Israel withdrew as part of the 1993 Oslo peace accords. But officials also say the offensive will last until "terrorism is uprooted" Misguided strategy In a conflict that will be solved only through a political settlement that brings an end to occupation, the strategy is a desperate and misguided display of military might. The plight of Israelis, terrified by a growing army of suicide bombers, must end. They, and the Palestinians, have a right to live in peace and security. But invasion is not the answer to the suffering. Since his election more than a year ago, Mr Sharon has relentlessly pursued a military strategy that has sought to undermine the PA while at the same time demanding that it crack down on radical militants. The result has been more radicalisation and more bloody attacks. A true friend of Israel - as the US undoubtedly wants to be - would not be standing by while this cycle of anger and despair continued. It would be intervening forcefully to turn Mr Sharon away from a military adventure that will simply breed more violence and destroy what little remains of the Oslo accords. Seeking justification Unfortunately, that is far from the tenor of current official pronouncements from Washington. While backing a United Nations resolution calling for a withdrawal and a ceasefire, President George W. Bush has sought to justify Israeli actions and put the burden for an end to the crisis on the Palestinian leader. The White House, moreover, has undermined last Friday's Security Council resolution by arguing that it urges a ceasefire before an Israeli withdrawal - an interpretation disputed by other council members. Who will sign on to a truce and implement it, in any case? Mr Arafat is imprisoned in his besieged Ramallah headquarters; his security forces are paralysed and under attack by Israeli gunfire. The inconsistencies of the US approach are owed to a merging of the Middle East crisis into the global war against terrorism. Yet the current conflict is part of a more- than-50-year dispute that, by the US's own admission, must end with the establishment of a viable Palestinian state. Moreover, in the past 18 months of bloodshed and violence, tragic human rights violations have been perpetrated by both sides, with Palestinians bearing the brunt of the killings. Washington's friends in Europe should press for a wiser US approach and for immediate US pressure on Israel. This is the most helpful message Tony Blair could carry to his meeting with Mr Bush in Texas later this week. The best way to help Israel today is to stop Mr Sharon from pursuing another senseless war. Links referenced within this article Find this article at: http://news.ft.com/ft/gx.cgi/ftc?pagename=View&c=Article&cid=FT38UTT3KZC&live= true End<{{{ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Forwarded as information only; no automatic endorsement + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without charge or profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this type of information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + "Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe simply because it has been handed down for many generations. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. 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