 f
there was ever any doubt about whether Iraqi President Saddam Hussein supported
terrorism, it is known now that he certainly has.
FULL EDITORIAL |
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Sara Bott
Staff Columnist
our
Weeks. FOUR WEEKS.
Is anyone else understanding that there are only four weeks left of class? That is it, four weeks.
FULL EDITORIAL
Tamara Woods
Staff Columnist
hen
a subculture is submerged into popular culture, it becomes a mediocre,
cornflake version of the real thing. It’s without the edge, the mystique
that made it originally attractive and, to some, frightening.
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J.R. Jewell
Rogue Commentary
s
I read through an Australian newspaper account of the bloodbath that continues
to grow in Israel, a conversation I had with a professor at the South African
Military Academy came to mind. When discussing U.S.-Israeli relations,
he expressed that in his view, and I must assume this is the view he relates
to his soldier-students, America is a tool of the Zionists.
That conversation came to mind as I read quotes from politicians and world leaders calling upon the United States to get involved in the deepening crisis before it boils over into other countries. Wait a minute, unless I am mistaken, the United States is denounced on a regular basis by both Arab leaders and very vocal Middle Eastern protesters for that very involvement. Just what exactly is our government to do?
This tough question has bedeviled every president since 1948, and the current president does not seem anymore certain of how to provide answers than any of his predecessors. President Bush is in a quandary, having declared war on terrorism wherever it exists on the one hand, combined with his sympathy for the Israeli response to the latest intifada, but on the other hand he is well aware of the precarious nature of U.S. relations in the Arab world.
What the president knows is that there are no real good guys here. We have seen graphic video footage of the immediate aftermath of suicide bombings and we are disgusted, and many of us empathize with Israeli anger. What we see much less of on our media sources are the degrading treatment Palestinians have been subjected to by the Israeli military. Coverage of assassinations of Palestinian leaders has been limited, to say the least. In essence, while the majority of Israeli and Palestinian civilians simply want peace, their leaders continue to demonstrate an acute inability to find middle ground compounded by an incredible obtuseness.
Making matters even more volatile, some Arab leaders continue to reward suicide bombers by paying their families significant amounts of money. The worst of these bounties, for I cannot see how to call them anything else, is the $25,000 now being offered by Saddam Hussein. It is actions like these that may inspire young Palestinians whose convictions alone may not be strong enough to become human bombs to do so, but these bounties also strengthen the resolve of Israelis who have every reason to believe their existence may well be in danger.
So yes, the United States must once again attempt to find a way out of this carnage, but we cannot do it alone. To have any real chance we must merge efforts with our prominent Arab nation allies, and this will not be easy. The unfortunate reality is that, as growing demonstrations show, precarious states of affairs exist in those nations, and to even appear to work toward a compromise settlement could prove disastrous. Nonetheless, allies like Saudi Arabia have shown a willingness to take such steps, but both parties showed little interest in such efforts.
The United States needs to put pressure on our Israeli allies, while nations like Saudi Arabia must take the risks and put pressure on not only the Palestinian Authority, but also move to stop murderous leaders like Hussein and terrorist groups like Hamas and Hezbollah from inciting any further violence. If a cease-fire can be arranged, both sides must be prepared to make concessions. For the most part the best solutions (and the word best is relative here) would be for a return to the 1967 borders, which would mean the dismantling of Israeli settlements that are deep within Palestinian lands. For their part, the Palestinians must realize that Israel will never concede on the issue of surrendering control of east Jerusalem, and furthermore they must find a better leader (as is likely to happen in Israel after its next election) to guide them.
There are compromisers in both groups (although the American public hears little about them, there are alternatives to Arafat, including Ahmed Qureia, or better yet, Abu Mazen and Mohammed Dahlan); it is time they took control. If they want peace, commitment to a compromise must happen, for if it does not there is little the rest of the world can do, as has been shown by the failure to follow up on steps taken by former President Clinton, Arafat and former Prime Minister Barak. In the last 18 months over 1,700 people have been killed, and that number is climbing at a dramatic rate now.
So even though the United States is damned for not getting involved just as it is for getting involved, we must intercede with the type of coalition the president formed after the Sept. 11 attacks. To be fair to the administration, they sent envoy Anthony Zinni, but no one is listening to him at the moment.
The Israeli and Palestinian people deserve the chance to live in peace and achieving that will not be easy, but it can be done, but drastic changes must be made. Oh, and as a final thought, when protesters continue to denounce the United States for its involvement, I hope someone reminds them that most governments are calling for our involvement.
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