Comment: Powell will need to listen carefully to what the Arabs have to say

Like many, we too have noticed the strong criticism with which King Mohammed VII of Morocco received U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell at the start of his visit to the region.

The King's message was communicated to Powell in more than one form. First, he wore an insignia with Dome of the Rock's picture on it, placed on the left collar of his jacket, indicating where Jerusalem is positioned: in the heart of each and every Arab.

The second form was verbal as the King asked Powell why had he not been to Palestine first and that the Secretary's visit would have been more valuable had he begun it in Jerusalem.

The King is reflecting what all Arabs believe in: that the Bush administration's decision to send the chief of American diplomacy to the Occupied Territories has only been decided in light of the increasing Israeli aggression there.

Bias is clear

Such a decision of sending a high ranking official was only right, a step correctly taken by the Bush administration.

Yet American bias in favour of Israel is clearly evident, as they have given Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon enough time to exterminate whatever is left of the Palestinians' will.

Instead of arriving in the Occupied Territories by Sunday or latest by Monday, Powell will not be in the region until probably Friday. That would be the earliest after he visits the many capitals on his schedule.

Such a delay in reaching the Occupied Territories is clearly intentional as it gives Israel the longest time possible to achieve the maximum of what its aggression against the Palestinians intends to.

The aim of the visit is not to listen to opinions in Arab capitals on the situation, as Powell and the American administration already know them very well.

It is not a secret that the stance of Arab capitals on the Israeli aggression is well known to the American administration, even though this stance has been greatly criticised as being weak by Arab populations.

Morocco's King relayed this message to Powell on Monday as he asked him to immediately leave for Jerusalem and meet Arafat as well. This criticism has indeed given Powell's visit a bitter beginning.

But Powell will witness this stance in every Arab capital he will travel to. This is a result of the anger that is fuelling the Arab streets, something that has formed the official position taken by Arab governments on events in the Territories.

Understand the anger

With millions demonstrating across the Arab world, Arab governments could not opt to stand against this wave of anger. Powell's visit therefore, would be useless if he does not understand why Arabs are angry. They have simple demands: withdrawal of Israeli forces, support of Palestinian President Yasser Arafat as their representative and the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Against this fury in the Arab world, it would not be helpful either for Sharon or, for that matter, the American administration to believe in the barrage of lies that Sharon has released.

Sharon lied when he said that he accepted the Saudi peace initiative and he lied when he said that he would withdraw from some of the re-occupied Palestinian lands.

Sharon has made such statements only to give Powell an alibi to defend his atrocious acts in the Occupied Territories. He is trying to save Powell's face and sheild him from any embarrassment, which the American official will definitely undergo in each Arab capital he will visit.

The Israeli prime minister has already made clear what his stand is. He responded to the peace initiative, agreed on at the recent Arab Summit, by a barbaric re-occupation. And on top of that, Sharon has repeatedly expressed his regret for not killing Arafat during the invasion of Lebanon in 1982.

Such are the intentions of aggression and occupation, and not of peace.

All of what Sharon has done so far proves to Arabs that they are facing a war criminal that should be prosecuted. Sharon is not not a man to shake hands with and discuss peace with.

Nevertheless, Arabs have taken a step towards peace and in reply Sharon has opted to cut off the hand that has been extended to him.

It is not surprising then, that Arabs today have changed their stance towards their proposed peace initiative.

Today, they face a party - the U.S. - whom they thought would stand with them as a friend when in need as many relations and interests bind both together. How could the U.S. be called a friend when it flagrantly stands with an enemy and justifies all its actions? This is what the Arab world thinks the U.S. is doing in its handling of the Middle East crisis.

Today, Arab governments are in a critical position as far as their response to the continuous protests in their countries is concerned. These governments are bewildered as to how to react to such protests since these are the same governments that have stood with the U.S. in its so-called war against terrorism.

Taste the sourness

It is not comprehensible to the Arabs how Washington can support the blind terror which is carried out by a criminal such as Sharon against an unarmed people whose "crime" is to demand their rights on a land of their own.

In every Arab capital he will visit, Powell will taste the same sourness which he had already tasted on his first stop in Morocco.

This is a taste of Arab anger and bitterness against American policy in the region. It is a reflection of what Arabs genuinely feel towards an unfair American policy: antagonism and subjugation.

This is what Powell has to listen to if he wants his mission to succeed. He has to listen carefully to what the Arabs are saying, especially the Palestinians, and above all Yasser Arafat.