Then the Palestinian people also saw it as a humiliation, and a humiliation it is

History in the Middle East has changed since last week, and the whole world is watching in a great silence. Silence in the sense of taking in UN decisions, political statements and interviews on how terrible it is, but the people of Palestine have never been so humiliated as now. No, I do not refer to what the Israeli forces are doing but how the Palestinian people are once again left alone by their compatriots, i.e. the Arabs, who convened last week in Beirut and resolved nothing. The conference in Beirut actually accelareted the Israeli intervention against Yasser Arafat because the Arab world would remain inactive as Sharon rightly read the political atmosphere. Yasser Arafat is in trouble. Though his life is not endangered as U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell assured the world, the critics of Israeli and American policy increaseed and it cannot but get worse and worse, if the situation continues like this.

Prime Minister Sharon is doing exactly what he promised, and as his adviser Ranaan Gissin said in his statement that Yasser Arafat plays the role of a victim. Indeed, Arafat plays this because he is a victim! In 1982, when Arafat was allowed by the Israelis to leave Beirut for Tunis, it was a cardinal mistake in the words of Prime Minister Sharon, and today Yasser Arafat’s cry from his headquarter is heard all around the world and he is now much stronger in the eyes of the world’s public opinion than ever.

The Israeli argument that Arafat cannot control the radical forces is correct and true, but is it also not as a result of Israeli politics since last year? It is the direct result of Mr. Sharon’s policy which is based on ‘’either they fear us or they respect us.’’ Indeed, the Palestinians at the moment fear Israel but whether they respect them is an open question.As one could read in the Israeli press last week, Mr. Sharon’s policies will be more and more criticized, and even Foreign Minister Shimon Peres seems to be fed up with this occupation policy. However, the real problem, of how long can Israel go on with this policy, remains? The Arab world’s passivism and the division of Arab countries, like Syria, Jordan and Egypt, on this issue, makes it even more difficult for Arafat. Also large countries like India and China that ciriticized American intervention in Kosovo remain silent now. It is another double moral of those countries and the Palestinian people have to notice it. U.S. policy is also counterproductive, and during his visit to the Middle East, the American Vice President Cheney made a great political mistake by not talking to Arafat. It was another factor that increased tension. Then the Palestinian people also saw it as a great humiliation, and a humiliation it is.

The question is not anymore, who is right or wrong but how to end this blood bath there. Israeli politics are wrong, and Israel further lost sympathy in international politics. What the Jewish people experienced under the Nazi regime during the World War II was unacceptable and the whole world condemned the Holocoust carried out by German Nazis. Yes, the Jewish people were victims of these Nazi policies. As someone, who visited several concentration camps all over Europe and the Holocoust museum in Washington, I do understand the Jewish people’s feelings. However, I have difficulty in understanding the policies of a nation that suffered in such a way that it conducts a similar policy towards a nation which has nothing to respond with against such military force. The biggest humiliation were the pictures of Israeli soldiers urinating against the wall of Arafat’s headquarters that were broadcast by many television stations. They apparently don’t know what that means for Muslim people. They apparently didn’t read Bernard Lewis’ book ‘Middle East’ in which he explains how Muslims react, and how they get angry with such symbols. Does it not reduce the sympathy for Israel in the eyes of the world? How can a nation abuse the symbols of another nation when in more than 2000 years such things did not take place. Indeed, this Israeli policy will be responsible for more bloodshed there. As one Israeli commentator wrote for the International Herald Tribune, the whole Palestinian nation will be on the queue up for suicide bombing. Certainly both sides have their share of responsibility in this conflict, but it can not go like this. External forces must intervene. Why do we have the United Nations?

Another concern is that in Turkey, there is genuine anti-Israeli wave since last week. Even the most pro-Israeli newspapers now publish articles and headlines against Israeli policies, not to mention some political parties which were tradionally pro-Israeli. A similar wave occured in the late eighties when Israeli soldiers were breaking the hands and fingers of some Palestian youth. The anger was great. But today it is greater and this will have great negative impact on Turkish-Israeli relations. Prime Minister Ecevit’s initiative was not enough, and he is trying to mediate between both parties. However, the increasing tension in the Middle East must be reduced and Israel should end its policy immediately. Whether the terrorists are hiding in the headquarter of Yasser Arafat is to be seen. Therefore from now on, it will be not easy for either Sharon or for Arafat to sit at the negotiation table. A new policy must be found.

It is a pitty that the Middle East continues to remain a time bomb, and we all have to it explode. But, everybody is affected by this, not necessarly politically, but also morally.