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The farce continues
Before setting out for Washington for talks with the scandal-ridden Bill
Clinton, Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat and his obsequious
aides stressed that the White House meetings would be 'the last chance' for
peace in the Middle East.
Moreover, Arafat warned that the entire region would witness a big
explosion in case Clinton's efforts failed to dislodge Israeli Prime
Minister Benyamin Netanyahu from his expansionist position on the West
Bank.
However, when the two Clinton-Netanyahu meetings fizzled, as expected, and
when Clinton made it clear to Arafat that 'pressure on Israeli' didn't
exist in the American political dictionary, Arafat, as usual, failed to
draw the right conclusion, insisting on continuing his characteristic
mirage chasing.
During his meeting with Arafat, Clinton reportedly uttered some nice words
about 'the Palestinian's need to be free and live in peace.' The
pleasantries and niceties, which mean nothing in light of the unflinching
and enduring American support for Israeli hegemony and aggression, seemed
sufficient enough to prompt Arafat to declare his brief parley with Clinton
a success.
Arafat, whose tongue seems to function much more swiftly than his mind
does, described the talks as =ECpositive, constructive and fruitful. However,
when asked by an inquisitive journalist what he thought made the talks so
successful,
Arafat had nothing to say except citing Clintonís niceties.
Interestingly, Arafat repeatedly described his numerous meetings with
Israeli and American officials as 'positive, constructive and fruitful',
only to admit, usually a few days later, that the meetings actually
produced nothing.
Furthermore, by demonstrating over-dependence on a presumed American
'integrity and credibility' as partner and honest broker in the peace
process, the PA Chairman only displays political naiveté bordering on
stupidity. Even the smallest Palestinian child knows that the United States
is the premier tormentor of the Palestinian people.
Hence, it would be amply safe to say that Arafat is deceiving his people
whom he claims to serve. How else can one describe the repeated and
continuing falsification and misrepresentation of the facts by an
incompetent autocrat who always insists he knows best?
But Arafat must have his own selfish reasons for keeping the farce. The
Chairman realizes well that the Oslo maze has an entrance but not an exit,
which necessitates, therefore, that the show goes on. In the final
analysis, this means that Arafat will continue to wander aimlessly through
the labyrinthine 'peace' process until the end, his end.
The PA itself, a misbegotten and deformed creature used by the Israelis to
liquidate the Palestinian cause, is, after all, the chief brat of the
infamous Accords. Hence, any prospective endeavour on Arafat's part to
dislodge from Oslo would bring to question the very survival of the
Palestinian Authority.
Indeed, this is the gist of the dilemma that Arafat incurred upon himself
and the Palestinian people and its most just cause. For, on the one hand,
if Arafat opted to revert to armed struggle (the pre-Oslo situation), he
would have to presume that he might be forced to return to North Africa or
some other Arab capital where he would presumably 'resume the struggle.'
This is not an option for Arafat because he considers the establishment of
the PA a great national achievement that ought to be protected and
sustained at any price.
On the other hand, should he begrudgingly resign to the present realities
(e.g. the Israeli policy of 'what you see is what you get' and the
concomitant active American connivance with it), he would be expected by
the Americans and the Israelis to respect the rules of the game as
determined by the powerful party, or else he would risk being ejected from
his Gaza headquarters or even destroyed
altogether.
More to the point, Arafat is an ailing man who doesn't possess the sort of
mental clarity that would enable him to take correct decisions affecting
the fate of the Palestinians. Indeed, this alone should make him draw the
necessary conclusions were the Chairman a normal leader responsible to his
people.
In light of the above, it would be safe enough to conclude that the
farcical show will continue amid increasing popular Palestinian indignation
and frozen rage. But the frozen rage will not be frozen forever. Soon, it
will explode in the face of all the parties, including Yasser Arafat.
Kilde:
Palestine Times, London, (Editor-in-Chief : Mahmoud al Khatib), Issue No.
80 February 1998 (http://www.ptimes.com/), "Comments"-delen
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