What if the tables were turned?

The writer is a leading activist in Jerusalem and a respected commentator on Palestinian matters. He visualises here the state of affairs in the region if the situation was reversed on the Israelis.


The Israeli prime minister is angry. He has called for an urgent press conference to complain about the latest action by the multinational observer force in Palestine and Israel.

The Israeli complaint is focused on the fact that these forces have prevented Prime Minster Ariel Sharon from leaving Jerusalem to journey to Tel Aviv even after Sharon had arrested his Chief of Staff Shaul Mofaz. He has been wanted by the International Court of Justice for war crimes that took place in 2000 and 2001. Francesco Partaloni, the Italian head of the observer force says that he doesn't trust Sharon's statement that he has in fact arrested Mofaz. "We are used to this charade," he said.

"The Israelis are known for their revolving door policy. They arrest them, try them and the next week they are pardoned by the President. We want Mofaz handed over to the International Court" which has been set up in Nicosia, Cyprus.

In addition to Mofaz, Israeli Air Force commander Moshe Cohen and a number of pilots of U.S.-made Apache helicopters are also wanted by the International Court. They are accused of war crimes stemming from the extra judicial killings of nearly 100 Palestinians.

A number of tank commanders including the chief of the tank units in Rafah, Shimon Moshe are also wanted for war crimes for their involvement in a number of collective punishment crimes against the Palestinian people. The crimes range from destroying homes to preventing injured people from travelling and uprooting trees in Palestinian towns during Al Aqsa Intifada.

A French official of the observer force, John Paul Renee has said that instead of travelling around the world, Sharon must stay put and deal with the many problems that has arisen from his government's policies. The international community has been accusing the Israeli leader of trying to avoid dealing with the requests for arrest and extradition by the International War Crime Court of Israeli soldiers and settlers accused of war crimes.

Before the press conference, a tired and angry Ariel Sharon arrived at the Israeli government press office in Beit Agron and was met by demonstrators from both the right and the left of Israel. The left-wing Israelis are demanding Sharon's immediate resignation, while the right-wing demonstrators are calling on Sharon to shell the international observer force situated at the UN building in Jabel al Mukaber in Jerusalem.

Meanwhile Israel's Labour Party had been meeting all night deciding on yet another candidate to lead it after the resignation of Haim Ramon in protest to the internal bickering within the now fractured Labour Party.

The morning newspapers meanwhile carried a small front-page news story about the capture by the International Observers of a Pananama ship in international waters which is suspected to be an illegal American shipment of spare parts for F-15 and F-16 fighters.

The Americans and the Israelis are said to have conspired to circumvent the UN arms blockade by hiding the spare parts alongside a shipment of computer parts headed for the Haifa port.

Sharon's press conference was not without controversy. He dismissed reports about the sincerity of the arrest of his chief of staff. "Look he is held in the Maskoubia prison and you are welcome to see him if you don't believe me." Sharon was angry when a journalist from Al Quds newspaper showed him a picture taken of Mofaz enjoying the sun at the beach in Netanya. "This isn't Mofaz, maybe it is someone that looks like him," Sharon said.

Before ending his press conference, the Israeli leader appealed to European Union president to intervene in the what he considered an issue of religious freedoms. The reference was to the dispute over the rights of Jews from the areas outside of Jerusalem to reach the Western Wall in time for evening prayers. "The international checkpoints are delaying traffic to such a degree that Jewish worshippers are spending over an hour while waiting in line," he complained.

The Israeli leader refused to accept any comparison with what his soldiers were doing to prevent Palestinians from reaching their places of worship during the days of occupation of the Palestinian areas.

"Our future was in jeopardy then and we were under attack, now the situation is much different and there is no need for these security checks that infringe on people's lives."