Editorial

The Failure of U.S.-Israeli Policy in the Middle East

Despite demands by the United Nations, the European Union (EU) and numerous governments around the world for an immediate end to Israel's war against the Palestinian people and the withdrawal of its forces from the Palestinian territories, Israel has not only continued its aggression, but is intensifying and expanding it. During the past week hundreds of Palestinians have been killed, whole sections of Ramallah and other cities have been reduced to rubble and numerous war crimes and crimes against humanity have been reported to have been committed by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF).

The U.S. obviously has no fundamental objections to the atrocities being committed by Israeli forces using U.S.-supplied weapons. The U.S. waged a war against Yugoslavia, supposedly to defend the human rights of the Kossovars. It waged one war against Iraq for its invasion of Kuwait and is threatening to wage another war against it, supposedly because Iraq has ignored several UN resolutions. Yet it continues to defend Israel which has illegally invaded and occupied Palestinian territory, is committing human rights abuses and crimes against humanity and has ignored 35 years of UN resolutions demanding that it vacate the occupied territories on the West Bank and Gaza. U.S. President George Bush has repeatedly stated that Israel's policies of collective punishment, selective (and non-selective) assassination and other crimes against humanity - such as massacring residents of refugee camps, depriving civilians of food, water, electricity and medical care and so on - are "understandable" given Israel's security concerns.

However, despite the tacit acceptance by the U.S. of all of Israel's aims and objectives, the continuing Israeli offensive is creating difficulties for American policy in the Middle East. The Bush regime is actively preparing for a renewed war against Iraq and is already having difficulty in getting approval for its plans from any of its European allies apart from Britain. Israel's genocidal campaign against the Palestinians is generating massive opposition within the Arab states, with increasing demands from the people that their governments take action to stop the bloodshed, including calls for an oil embargo against Israel's allies, particularly the United States.

In response to an official statement by the EU that the U.S. should "step aside" and let Europe broker a ceasefire, since the U.S. has discredited itself, the Bush administration has announced that it is sending Secretary of State Colin Powell to the region. However, it has also announced that Powell has no plans to meet with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, so his visit appears to be more show than substance. Already, U.S. envoy General Zinni has backed off from his initial position that Israel should cease its attacks on Palestinian Authority (PA) security forces or institutions. After meeting with Israeli officials, Zinni proposed a modified ceasefire which would recognize Israel's right to continue "self-defence" operations in the Palestinian territories, including attacks on PA presidential buildings, institutions and prisons. In addition, Israel arrogantly rejected Bush's April 6 demand that it withdraw from the Palestinian territories "without delay", stating that it would not cease its offensive until it had "destroyed the infrastructure of terror". Bush has responded not with an ultimatum, but by delaying Powell's arrival in Israel so that Sharon has several more days in which to achieve his military goals.

The underlying problem appears to be that the sheer arrogance of the Sharon regime has created a situation in which it can neither achieve its objectives nor withdraw. Despite more than a week of sustained tank, artillery and air attacks against a heavily outnumbered and outgunned adversary, it is reported that the IDF has not succeeded in establishing control over the cities it has invaded. It continues to face heavy resistance from Palestinian fighters and is afraid to send its tanks into the centres of the cities. An immediate Israeli withdrawal would, therefore, almost certainly be seen as a victory for the Palestinians. However, the longer Israel continues its military campaign the more it will lose the battle for international public opinion. The Israeli armed forces rely on the strategy of the blitzkreig; it has never won a protracted struggle. Sharon clearly thought he could either win a quick military victory or force Arafat to capitulate under the threat of death. Either outcome would have put him in a strong position to crush the intifada and/or accelerate his plans for the ethnic cleansing of Palestine. Since neither objective has been achieved, Sharon is now a prisoner of his own bombastic declarations. In the past, the U.S. has called the shots in Israel. It now appears to have lost control of the situation and is urgently trying to regain it.