Again the international community fails the children of Gaza and those who support peace and justice around the world. All peace-loving people were momentarily optimistic that the United Nations Security Council would condemn the Israeli terrorist attack on the Freedom Flotilla and perhaps demand the immediate lifting of the Israeli blockade. For some reason, maybe because of the global outrage reflected in the spontaneous demonstrations in the Middle East and Europe, we thought the Security Council would finally come to its senses and hold Israel accountable for the crime, perpetrated in international waters.
But the Security Council refrained again from pointing the finger at the obvious culprit. Instead, a fluid and unbinding so-called "formal presidential statement" said it "regrets the loss of life and injuries".
Of course, the statement said the council "expresses its condolences" to the families of those killed in the Israeli attack.
The families don't want the UN's condolences. They were not waiting for a sympathetic note. They are looking for justice. And the world again failed them.
Those families and the oppressed people of Gaza, who have been denied the basic means of living for the past three years, now look at the Arab governments to take action against Israel. They surely are not expecting a military reaction. But at least all ties with Israel must be ceased. Embassies closed. The so-called peace talks suspended.
The Israelis will act in this way again and again until they realise there are real consequences for their continuing aggression.
An Arab emergency summit must be convened to determine the next collective step. The Arab League has recently endorsed the so-called ‘proximity talks' between the Palestinians and the Israelis. The question today is: Aren't these talks pointless at this stage?
