Israel’s Plan Has Backfired

MILLIYET- Columnist Derya Sazak writes on the latest developments in the Middle East. A summary of his column is as follows:
Israel’s plan to overthrow Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat has backfired as the international media is now throwing the spotlight on the escalating violence in the Palestinian territories. Not only Western countries but also certain Israeli circles are now voicing their opposition to recent developments in the region. Former Israeli Prime Minister Eduh Barak’s recent statements published in German magazine Stern are quite striking in this regard. He strongly criticized the policy Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is currently pursuing. ‘Israel has lost its righteousness in its fight against Arafat,’ said Barak. ‘The world sees us as the more powerful side in the current conflict, and Israel’s policy can no longer be justified. Sharon must show the world that his main goal is not to destroy Arafat. Neither overthrowing Arafat nor finding another politician to lead the Palestinians should be Israeli’s mission. The Palestinians have the right to choose their own leaders.”
Sharon has begun a campaign of ethnic cleansing in the Palestinian territories. Approximately 1,000 Palestinians have been killed with many more missing.
A few months ago, Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit warned the world after a phone conversation with Sharon that Israel was planning to destroy Arafat’s administration. Ecevit reiterated his concerns yesterday at his Democratic Left Party (DSP) group meeting:
‘Arafat will either be killed or sent into exile. It is not merely Arafat who will be eliminated but also all of his administration will be destroyed.’
Ecevit also reiterated his call for peace, stressing that both the Israeli administration and those Palestinians who committed suicide bombings and armed attacks against Israeli civilians were responsible for the current violence. ‘Islamic fundamentalism is likely to gain ground in the region unless the United States takes urgent action to stop the Sharon administration in its tracks,” said Ecevit. ‘The current situation is totally out of control. Sharon has chosen war rather than the pursuit of peace. If he is not stopped, then an atmosphere which will pave the way to new fundamentalist groups similar to Al Qaeda is likely to emerge.’
The US which has set itself up as the guardian of world peace in the wake of Sept. 11 attacks, is now choosing to sit on the sidelines and watch the bloodshed in the Middle East.
Why can’t people see that violence only begets more violence? We shouldn’t forget that occupying another nation’s territories is a crime against humanity.”

SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION