A peace prize presented in vain

Members of the Norwegian committee of the Nobel Peace Prize recently criticised the former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres who was awarded the Peace Prize in 1994, which he shared with the Palestinian President, Yasser Arafat, and the late Israeli Prime Minister, Yitzhak Rabin.

They consider Peres a participant in the Israeli assaults against the Palestinians. They expressed their regret that they could not recall the prize.

In an interview with the Norwegian newspaper, Dagsavisen, the committee member, Hanna Kvanmo, expressed her worry over the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories and considered Peres responsible for such an offence because he is part of the government.

She said that what is happening in Palestine is grotesque and unbelievable and that if Peres did not agree with Sharon, he should have withdrawn from the government.

She expressed her disappointment of Peres who as a politician deserved the peace prize a few years ago when he presented the Oslo initiative for peace in the Middle East. The committee's decision was right at that time, according to Kvanmo.

Furthermore, Gunnar Stalsett, the Bishop of Oslo and committee member for years, accused Peres of getting involved in human rights abuses. He expressed his sadness at such a contravention committed by a Nobel peace laureate.

Criticism also came from Geir Lundestad, chairman of the Nobel Prize committee, who revealed the concerns of the committee's members because of the Israeli war against the Palestinian National Authority. He also mentioned that the same members feared that Arafat would be killed. In this case, a Nobel peace laureate would have been killed by another.

Commenting on this issue, Dr. Hasan Madan writes in Al-Khaleej (UAE) that many times the Nobel Prize goes to people who do not deserve it. This is particularly true of the peace prize that was given to Shimon Peres who always presented himself as a peace advocate while he has quite often promoted war, especially since he was the hero of the Qana massacre in Southern Lebanon, says Dr. Madan.

Moreover, he has been a member of all the Israeli governments that conducted war, including Ariel Sharon's government. In spite of Sharon's violent aggression, Peres has never shown any objection to such assaults. On the contrary, he has been playing a dangerous role by promoting Sharon's policies in the European capitals, adds Dr. Madan.

Agree on aggression

It is important to note in this respect that both the Likud and the other right wing parties, and the Labour party, which represents the left wing, agree on the aggression against the Palestinians despite their ideological differences. This proves that the Israeli people are united in rejecting the establishment of a Palestinian state, points out Dr. Madan.

However, Peres' actions cannot be hidden for long from the international community. Hence, members of the Nobel Prize Committee criticised his policies and regretted that he had been awarded the peace prize in 1994, concludes Dr. Madan.

The wolf wore a lamb's mask to preach peace but, as the days passed, this mask fell to uncover the real face of the wolf, writes Ahmad Bahgat in Al-Ahram (Egypt). Our position with respect to Peres is similar to our stand in relation to Sharon since we made the same mistake and viewed Sharon as a madman, says Bahgat.

But Sharon is not a mad man. On the contrary, he is implementing a military strategy that decision-makers in Israel and the Israeli people have agreed to. It is a plan that is being implemented violently in sequential phases, clarifies Bahgat.

This is evident through a poll published by the Israeli newspapers, Jerusalem Post and Yediout Ehranot. This poll revealed that the popularity of Sharon among the Israelis is increasing and that most of the nation trusts his method of rule and supports the buffer zones that he set up to isolate the West Bank.