Arrogance
Of Power
By Dr. Bernard Sabella
07 August 2006
Electronic
Lebanon
Neither
the horror of history nor the arrogance of power can justify Israel
in what it is doing in both Lebanon and the Palestinian Territories.
The political leadership in Israel has miserably failed in seeking a
long lasting political solution to the conflict that is based on justice
and respect for human rights. Instead it has relied on military strategists
with a formidable and merciless military machine to prepare the ground
for an eventual political solution that would impose a Pax Israeleana
in the region. But the prospects of Pax Israeleana cannot be realized
without the weight of the US Administration. This weight, as is increasingly
evident, has continuously been eroded by ill advised wars in Iraq and
elsewhere. The ongoing Lebanon war, irrespective of its outcome, has
dealt yet another blow to the credibility of the American Administration.
The reliance on brute force
to achieve convenient political results often leads politicians and
militarists to go back to the drawing boards after the dust of war settles.
Lessons learned are strictly of a military nature: how best to counter
the tactics of the adversary guerrilla forces; to finish off with them
in the quickest manner; to ensure that one's forces and ingeniously
adapted new military tactics would surprise the enemy. Israel has learned
from its military history that the best wars are those won in less than
7 days. Then Israel and its politicians would rest without need for
a serious political process to resolve long standing conflict with its
neighbors. The military superiority would ensure that the advantageous
status quo would always remain in Israel's favor.
When one looks at Israel's
history, one is reminded of the messages that the late Foreign Minister
of Israel, Abba Eban, used to broadcast in Arabic in the fifties on
the eve of independence day urging Arabs to come to the peace table
and signaling that Israeli politicians would go anywhere in the world
to negotiate peace with their neighbors. Today, Israeli politicians
are not concerned about peace or about negotiations. They lack the leadership
element at a time when more than a dozen Arab countries have diplomatic
and informal relations with the Jewish state. Or is it because of these
relations that Israeli politicians do not care about genuine peace negotiations
confident that all Arab states and politicians will eventually follow
suit in normalizing relations with Israel without having Israel to pay
any price for that?
The US Administration and
Israeli image not simply in the Arab world but throughout the world
has suffered tremendously. This image will come out even more tarnished
than ever before when the war of Lebanon subsides. Likewise without
a permanent just solution to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians,
the US Administration and Israel politicians will remain in the minority
when it comes to international decency, legitimacy and fairness. Much
needs to be done by US Administration officials and by Israeli politicians
to prove to the world that they are ready to subscribe to rules of international
decency and legitimacy. Whether they will be able to successfully undertake
this most challenging task remains to be seen. But one thing is clear:
Israel is in need of a politician of the De Gaulle caliber but this
is wishful thinking if one considers the present political establishment
in Israel. The US Administration is in need to wake up but there is
doubt that the present Administration will be able to forego its long
slumber. Accordingly, the region will continue to be in political limbo
and all of us will continue to pay the price, including those who believe
in Tel Aviv and Washington that brute force will advance their political
views and visions for the future of this region.
Dr. Bernard Sabella is Professor of Sociology at Bethlehem
University. He received his Ph.D. in Sociology from Viriginia University
and is a member of various Palestinian institutions. His scientific
and research interest focuses on Palestinian society. He is the co-author
of many academic publications and serves as the Executive Secretary
of the Department of Services to Palestinian Refugees in the Middle
East Council of Churches.