Opinion | Editorials
Rice must address the real issue
US should make a distinction between the occupiers and the occupied.
- Gulf News
- Published: 00:36 March 5, 2008
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has made it clear that his country's military onslaught in Gaza is not over and has even warned of fresh action. Against this backdrop, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is in the region and calling for a renewal of peace talks. But her visit should be cautiously welcomed.
After all, the US reaction to last week's Israeli massacres in Gaza was not only delayed but was also cold. Asking both Palestinians and Israelis to end the violence and to adhere to a ceasefire shows the US views this conflict with extreme bias - as if both sides are equal and are fighting a conventional war.
Of course the current situation in the Occupied Territories is not equal; while Israelis launched an all-out military offensive, the Palestinians were responding with home-made rockets.
But Rice has already blamed Hamas's rocket attacks for the current round of violence and only went as far as to say that she would raise with Israel the "loss of innocent life" which resulted from its recent attacks.
What happened in Gaza shows that the Bush plan for peace has its limitations. For one, talking only to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas while cutting off Hamas in Gaza has proved to be a major problem. Abbas looks weakened because of his inability to stop the Israelis from carrying out their Gaza "operation".
Secondly, Olmert has shown that his government is not interested in peace. Also, the growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, due to the sanctions imposed globally on Hamas, has forced the 1.5 million people into extreme poverty.
Perhaps Rice could focus her visit on emphasising the illegality and unacceptability of Israel's actions against the Palestinian civilians, which have caused widespread international alarm. It must also be realised that the only solution to the problem begins with an end to the brutal occupation.
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