Home Contact Advertise
Thursday, 6 December, 2007, 8:6 ( 6:6 GMT )
Editorial/OP-ED




Opinion: Shame on The Arab League!
By Zainab Al-Arabi
16/10/2007 18:45:00
It’s almost as if everyone’s tired of the Palestinians, and the Palestinians themselves –exhausted- have turned against each other.

The United Nation’s relief efforts for Gaza, the besieged, are subject to Zionist approval and permission. Financial donations from various countries around the world are often held up by the Israelis and frozen for months. The humanitarian situation in Gaza is critical.

Rarely does a day pass without missile attacks, incursions, or raids by the Zionist army. The killing of innocent civilians merits passing mention in news reports. Just another statistic, typical of the Middle East. All this is a result of the Palestinian rockets fired from Gaza into Zionist settlements.

Apparently Zionist settlers don’t like to be threatened by Palestinian rockets. The fact that they –the settlers- are living on land stolen from the Palestinians has no meaning here.

Despite international opposition to the wall that the Zionist state is building to enable the stealing of more land before any final peace settlement, and despite the fact that the World Court has ruled that it is illegal, this wall continues to grow.

More Palestinian land is being stolen from under their feet. Why should they complain? To whom will they complain?

At Al-Quds on Fridays, Palestinian men of a certain age wanting to pray in their revered mosque and its square, are forbidden by Zionist police, under the pretext that they could be suicide bombers. More degradation and humiliation to be borne by Palestinians.

Archaeological diggings by Jews searching for a long-lost Temple endanger the mosque itself.

Renounce violence, they’re told, and everything will be just fine. Whether going to school, or work, or hospital, numerous checkpoints have to be crossed, and never mind if there’s a pregnant woman about to give birth, or someone who’s critically ill- ambulances have to wait in line too.

So why are the Palestinians at the lowest level of political unity? And where is the Arab league in all of this? Palestinian refugees leaving the bloodshed of Iraq and denied entry to Jordan were accepted by Brazil. Why? If the United Nations has no answer, and the Arab League has no answer, who does? Why are we even members of these organisations?

The Palestinian Right of Return is recognised by the United Nations so why isn’t it being enforced? The Arab League’s last summit confirmed the Peace Proposal put forward in the Beirut summit: Peace with all Arab countries upon Israel’s withdrawal to its pre-1967 borders.

The pressure must be kept on. And the Palestinians themselves must regroup and stand strongly together, speaking in one voice. The eruption of violence between the Palestinian factions seems to have ignited at just the right moment.

The Arab Proposal has been completely ignored, and Israel is planning on occupying Gaza once again. Tony Blair and his Quartet, Condoleeza rice and her President, all say that the upcoming Peace conference in the Middle East is the way forward.

They can meet and confer all they like. The way forward lies within Palestine and the Palestinians. Demographically, the Zionists claim, the land can’t bear any Palestinians returning to their homes. Ironically, it can bear hundreds of thousands of Jews who are encouraged to emigrate from America, Europe, Asia, and Africa each year.

This is not just a question of numbers. This is about rights and the Arab League should be doing more to regain these rights. Otherwise the strong emotions stirred by the unjust situation will continue to result in eruptions of violence for a long time.

Zaiab Al-Arabi can be reached at: zalarabi [at] tripolipost [dot] net
 
More Featured Articles
Traditions, Customs, and Dangerous Old Ladies
By: Zainab Al-Arabi

Every nation has its traditions and customs; some of which should be utilized as mechanisms for positive social change and advancement. Regretfully, some of these same traditions and customs have the opposite result when enforced by certain type of old women.

Simple Calculus BY; Morgan Strong
There are two fundamental truths about our war in Iraq. The first is that the administration did not tell the American people the true reasons for this war. Whether it was through deliberate lies or by the deliberate construction of false intelligence, the consequence is equal.

Frendo: Malta's EU Membership Helps Clarify, Defend Mediterranean Interests
Dr. Mustafa Fetouri

Two weeks ago, Malta's Minister of Foreign Affairs paid an official visit to Libya in which he met with officials, inaugurated the newly opened office of Malta's Chamber of Commerce, and gave a lecture at the prestigious Academy of Graduate Studies which was the pinnacle of his visit.

 

Home | News | Business | Arts - Culture | Sports | Tourism | Editorial OP-ED | Classifieds | Advertising
To the Editor | Reader Opinion | Contact Us | About Us
© 2007 - The Tripoli Post