Arabs must move now to counter Israel

In a belated move, foreign ministers of Arab countries have recommended the severing of all contacts with Israel till it ceases military action against Palestinians. Meeting in an emergency session in Cairo the foreign ministers closed ranks against the Jewish state and urged international intervention to halt Israeli aggression. "The resistance and intifada will continue whatever the price may be," said Amr Mousa, former Egyptian foreign minister who has taken over as the secretary general of the Arab League. "We cannot, under any circumstances, accept an Israeli peace," he added.

While such rhetoric has been heard before, what is significant is the tough stance taken by the two moderates: Egypt and Jordan. Till recently they were pushing peace proposals of their own but after the violence of the last few days and the use of F-16s by Israel to bomb Palestinian areas, all peace efforts seem to have been pushed aside, for the moment at least. Both Egypt and Jordan, which have their own peace treaties with Israel, will now not receive Israeli envoys and neither will they send their ambassadors back to Tel Aviv in the near future.

The harsh reaction has been forced upon Arabs by Israel which is escalating the conflict every day. The use of fighter bombers by Israel, the first time since 1967, is a grave provocation and has elicited concern and condemnation from across the world. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's decision to call in the air force was obviously taken keeping in mind the repercussions. This means he is ready for a conflict which may become wider. Israeli officials are not shying away from talking about it.

"This is war, my friends, this is war," Israeli Minister of Communication Reuven Rivlin told Reuters in Jerusalem. In New York recently the Israeli Public Security Minister Uzi Landau warned that Israel might resort to "all out" combat to end the conflict. And Defence Minister Ben-Elizer has admitted he had given his commanders complete authority to launch incursions into Palestinian territory.

Concerns that the conflict may widen are now being aired openly. Amr Mousa said at the Cairo meeting that the use of fighter aircraft by Israel threatened a wider war while other delegates warned that a regional conflict could flare if Israeli aggression was not halted. Israeli forces recently hit some targets in Lebanon which has elicited threats from Hezbollah and Syria. Hamas is already on the warpath with its suicide bombers and Palestinians are vowing to resist Israeli attacks.

It is evident that if immediate measures are not taken, the conflict will continue to generate its momentum and head directly into a war scenario. From the Arab point of view, this is an undesirable outcome. No one wants another war. More than a decade later, the region is still suffering from the hangover of the Gulf War while the long-drawn Iraq-Iran war has left scars on both countries which will take very long to heal. It is therefore in their interest to do whatever it takes to avoid yet another war.

For Israel it will be worse. After half a century of repressing Palestinians, Israelis have realised there is no military solution to the issue. When Israel's Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Shaul Mofaz was asked by the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee if he thought there was a military solution to the intifada, he declined to answer. Sharon's four months as prime minister are further proof of this. Despite overwhelming use of force, Israelis are no more secure than they were before. There is now perhaps a realisation that the more they hit out at Palestinians, the more they use tanks, helicopters and F-16s, the more the Palestinians will retaliate.

There is no escape from the suicide bombers, which means there is no safety for Israelis. When Israelis do not discriminate between military and civilian targets, when they do not discriminate between men, women and children, then Palestinians too play by the same rules: that there are no rules in this game.

Israel was forced to pull out of south Lebanon because it could not cope with Hezbollah's low-intensity conflict. Hezbollah was targeting Israeli troops. How long can Israel sustain civilian casualties, knowing that it has no ready solution?

War too does not provide any answers. It will only heighten Israel's insecurity with its neighbours and reshuffle all the dynamics of the region so carefully nurtured by the United States keeping in mind Israel's interests. Regardless of the final outcome of the war, Israel will have to start looking over its shoulder all over again. Gone will be its Camp David treaties and all the "diplomatic incursions" it has made into the Arab world. There will be death and destruction on a magnitude much higher than previous wars. Countries like Iraq, Syria and Iran will not hesitate to use all the firepower at their disposal which could lead to very unpredictable circumstances. In short, an Arab-Israeli war could this time be very nasty.

The status quo however cannot, must not, endure. Israel has some very difficult decisions to ponder, but for Arabs too the day of reckoning is fast approaching. Mere rhetoric is not enough anymore. In order to retain their own credibility and make a difference on the ground, they have to take well-thought out and practical steps that can have an effect on the situation.

First, the Arab League should give Israel a deadline to stop all violence, failing which all members should severe diplomatic, political and economic ties with Tel Aviv. This should mean formal closure of embassies of those countries which maintain them in Tel Aviv (not just the recalling of envoys), no interaction of any kind with Israel on any level (trade, cultural offices etc) and a complete economic boycott of the Jewish state. This will send a clear signal that this time Arabs mean business.

Second, launch a global campaign against Israel. Arab nations, in collaboration with Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) should aggressively take up the Palestinian case to all important capitals and all relevant international organisations. Resolutions must be passed, punitive measures recommended and public opinion galvanised against Israeli brutality.

Special focus should be on Russia, China and the European Union (EU) all of whom take an active interest in the Middle East conflict and, unlike the United States, pursue a balanced approach. The involvement of "heavyweight" players can have a sobering effect on the situation.

Third, it is time for the Arabs to step up material aid to Palestinians – not one or two notches, but considerably. Saturday's Cairo meeting has asked the Secretary General Amr Mousa to ensure that financial aid is speedily disbursed to Palestinians.

The slow manner in which the aid – first promised during the summit – is reaching Palestinians is a poor reflection of commitment on the part of the donors. More money must be pledged and disbursed because every Israeli attack is bleeding the Palestinian economy.

In addition, it is time for Arabs to seriously consider sending arms to Palestinians so that they can at least defend themselves against a much more powerful enemy. It was only when the Bosnian Muslims were armed (by some Islamic countries) that Serb brutalities were checked and the West took notice. Nothing can j