Israel Defies World Opinion

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Israel Defies World Opinion

Arab States Confront US at UN over Middle East

Diary from Palestine

The Israeli State Is Conducting Nothing Short of A Campaign of Terror against the Civilian Population

A Palestinian Official Statement

The US and British responsibility for the Palestinian Holocaust

Only one hour before US President George Bush urged Israel to withdraw its military force from the West Bank, IDF troops and tanks moved into Hebron, widening the campaign. IDF soldiers advanced towards the central marketplace amid heavy fighting. IDF troops moved into Bethlehem, Hebron, Jenin, Nablus, Qalquilya and Ramallah.

On April 5, the Israel Defence Force put a timetable on its operations against the Palestinian uprising, according to Chief of the General Staff Lt. Gen. Shaul Mofaz. However, Mofaz said that eight weeks would be preferable, the Jerusalem Post reported. Mofaz said the IDF has decided it would be best for Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat to be exiled, and he released documents that he claimed implicate Arafat in directing, financing and encouraging terrorist activities.

In Jenin, at least 80 Palestinians have been killed and 150 wounded in the overall operation, according to Israeli military officials. Over 2,000 have been detained.

Israeli police used tear gas on more than 2,000 activists attempting to cross restricted lines while bringing humanitarian supplies into the West Bank. The activists, both Israeli Jews and Arabs, carried banners and chanted for Sharon to get out of Ramallah as they passed through a military checkpoint in north Jerusalem. The clashes happened on the doorstep of a school for the visually impaired, where teachers hurried 70 blind children into a basement.

Jordan's King Abdullah sent his foreign minister to Washington to discuss with US President George Bush the deteriorating situation in the Middle East. The state news agency Petra said that a letter from Abdullah to Bush described the "Jordanian vision for halting the escalating Israeli military action against the Palestinian people". The note also reportedly calls for protecting the Palestinians, and international intervention to stop "this serious escalation that will put the whole region in a state of conflict", reports Petra.

Israeli jets bombed occupied areas in southern Lebanon on April 5 after Hezbollah militants attacked Israel Defence Force positions in the region. The Israeli army also fired about 100 heavy shells on the outskirts of the villages of Kfarshuba and Kfarhamam. The raids came after Lebanon's Hezbollah group fired about 30 rockets and mortar bombs on three Israeli positions in the Shebaa Farms, according to Lebanese police.

Gunfire and small explosions were heard near the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem on April 8 where Palestinian gunmen have been holed up for seven days, surrounded by Israeli troops. Israeli troops have been calling on the Palestinians to surrender. The Palestinians have refused, and the recent exchange of fire left black smoke rising from a window in the church compound, though it was unclear what was burning.

Israeli troops secured their holds on the Palestinian West Bank towns of Nablus and Jenin despite stiff resistance by Palestinian militants, the Jerusalem Post reported on April 8. A senior Israeli commander said more than 30 armed Palestinians were killed in Nablus over the weekend, while sources in Jenin said "scores" of Palestinian gunmen have been killed in a six-day siege. IDF troops have gone through nearly every house in the small refugee camp in Jenin. In Nablus, tanks backed troops who continued their slow sweep, while helicopter gunships fired rockets.

The Israel Defence Forces have started a limited draft of senior reserve officers to reinforce its presence on the northern border, Ha'aretz reports. The draft is a reaction to increased attacks by Hezbollah militants across the border in southern Lebanon. Both the US and Israel have warned Syria and Lebanon that they must restrain Hezbollah, but Damascus and Beirut say they have no control over the militant organisation.

Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat has agreed to form a committee of senior aides to work with US Middle East envoy Anthony Zinni for peace with Israel, according to news reports.

Even as Israeli troops declared victory and begin withdrawing from the West Bank towns of Qalqiliya and Tulkarem, IDF forces moved into Dura, also on the West Bank, with troops, tanks and helicopters, the Associated Press reported on April 9. The withdrawals came in the wake of the most stern demands yet from US President George Bush for Israel to end its 12-day offensive in the West Bank. Some Israeli military officials said "Operation Defensive Shield", designed to root out what they call terrorists and terrorist infrastructure, might last four to eight weeks. In Bethlehem, the standoff continued between Palestinian gunmen holed up in the Church of the Nativity and Israeli troops surrounding the church. Palestinian Information Minister Yasser Abed Rabbo said the announcement that IDF troops were withdrawing from Qalqiliya and Tulkarem was a lie. "This is a new Israeli lie because as they pulled back they tightened the siege on the two cities and entered new areas," Rabbo said. Israel announced that, though it was withdrawing from Qalqiliya and Tulkarem, it would maintain a cordon and a close watch on the two West Bank towns. "If this lie will pass with the Americans, this means their conspiracy is continuing because they know that what happened is a manoeuvre," Rabbo added.

The United States and Arab countries appeared on a collision course at the United Nations on Wednesday, news agencies report, as Washington vowed to veto an Arab-drafted text on the Middle East crisis that includes a demand for a "third Party" presence in the region.

The US says it wants to give Secretary of State Colin Powell's peace mission more time to make headway, while Arab UN envoys said they would press for a quick vote. "The focus of activity is now where it should be, in the region, with Secretary Powell engaging in all his contacts," US envoy James Cunningham told reporters on Tuesday.

The resolution, introduced by Syria, demands an immediate withdrawal of Israeli forces from West Bank cities and a "third party" presence on the ground to help both sides implement any agreements.

The Security Council meeting was convened following a letter to the Council President from the Permanent Representative of Tunisia, in his capacity as Chairman of the Arab Group for April, requesting "an immediate meeting" of the Council to consider "the continued escalation of the Israeli military aggression against the Palestinian people and the Palestinian Authority, in total disregard of the resolutions of the Security Council, in particular, resolutions 1402 (2002) and 1403 (2002)".

The letter, dated April 6, refers in particular to the "criminal actions committed by the Israeli occupation forces in the refugee camps in the cities of Jenin and Nablus", and follows an extraordinary meeting of the Arab Ministers for Foreign Affairs held on Saturday, April 6, in Cairo. Also according to the document, the Arab Group requests the Council to consider the adoption of the "necessary immediate measures" to ensure an end to the current tragic situation and the implementation of the above-mentioned resolutions.

Israel and the US have previously opposed the Syrian draft resolution's call for third-party monitors of some type to help quell violence in the region. Israel also opposes a provision of the draft calling on it to "fully and effectively respect" the 1949 Fourth Geneva Convention on the treatment of civilians in time of war, which among other things bars settlements on occupied territories.

Wrapping up the two-day open debate on the situation in the Middle East, the United Nations Security Council on April 9 began informal consultations on the draft resolution sponsored by Syria. The proposed text condemns the failure to implement Council resolutions 1402 and 1403 and, among other points, calls on Israel to effectively respect the Fourth Geneva Convention on the protection of civilians in the occupied Palestinian territory, according to UN spokesman Fred Eckhard.

Before moving into closed-door talks on the draft, the Council heard from the remaining nations taking part in the debate, which saw the participation of over 40 representatives since it began.

Spain's representative, Juan Luis Flores, speaking for the European Union and associated States, said resolutions 1397, 1402 and 1403 must be implemented immediately. He voiced deep regret over the fact that the resolutions continued to be ignored, particularly their demands for an immediate cessation of violence, a meaningful and effective ceasefire, and the immediate withdrawal of Israeli troops. There must also be an immediate end to Chairman Arafat’s isolation and lack of freedom of movement, he said.

Widespread serious concern was expressed at the deadly violence in the Middle East, with speakers calling for immediate implementation of the Council’s recent resolutions on the region.

Cuba’s representative, Orlando Requeijo Gual, said that disregard by the government of Israel for everything discussed in the Council over the last days made his delegation very angry. Massacres continued to take place and repression continued to exist. Threats to the physical integrity and dignity of Mr. Arafat also continued, as did arbitrary detentions, mistreatment and humiliation. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinian citizens continued to be surrounded by tanks while they were brutally attacked by state-of-the-art helicopters and military equipment. The credibility of the Council was teetering on the balance. The situation could no longer continue without the adoption of deep and credible measures by the Council.

"The disregard of Israel would persist while the alleged mediators continued to keep deceitful and unbalanced stands when they spoke with the parties", he said. It was impossible to accept that somebody might be an honest and credible mediator while playing the role of both judge and party, or when giving unlimited support to all the atrocities committed. The massacres must be brought to an end. Israel must be compelled to respect United Nations resolutions, and to respect the minimum rules of coexistence and behaviour among states.

Specific and effective actions – without half-measures – must be taken, including the immediate dispatch of an impartial international force mandated by the Council to achieve compliance with the ceasefire and to demand the effective withdrawal of the Israeli army. State terrorism must be brought to an end. All the human rights of the Palestinian people, not just some of them, must be respected.

Morocco’s representative said the Arab world had held out the hand of peace in Beirut at the recent Arab League Summit. To continue the escalation of violence was to jeopardise the future, he stressed. The Arab States wanted peace and were prepared to live alongside the Israeli State. The hand that had been held out must be grasped – a dialogue with Mr. Arafat, the legitimate leader of the Palestinian people, must be undertaken.

The terrain must be cleared for a just, lasting and comprehensive solution in the Middle East, where all parties could live side by side and in assured security, the representative of Turkey said. To that end, Israel should address the heightened grievances of the Palestinian people and choose to become a more forthcoming partner in fulfilling their legitimate rights. The Palestinian side must respond positively and fully to the calls for a ceasefire. It should do that credibly and show its determination to resolutely fight terrorist elements.

Statements were also made by the representatives of Algeria, Iraq, Canada, Oman, Ecuador, Sudan, Pakistan, Libya, Iran, Malaysia, Jordan, India, Yemen, Mauritania, United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Republic of Korea, Nepal, Indonesia and Philippines.

Nasser Al-Kidwa, Permanent Observer for Palestine, said that Israel’s withdrawal from Palestinian cities was taking place while its forces remained around those cities, maintaining a solid and hermetic closure. In the meanwhile, reoccupation continued in other places while Israeli forces were escalating their attacks in Jenin and Nablus.

He said that what the Israeli army was doing was no different from what the Nazi forces did in many European cities. That was a terrible fact that needed to be faced by the Israeli people. Facing it meant correcting, and could lead possibly to peaceful coexistence by both sides.

In the Security Council debate on April 8, the Permanent Observer for Palestine told the Council "we and our future generations will never forget what has befallen us at the hands of the Israeli side". He described in detail the unfolding humanitarian crisis and said that the Palestinian people would not give up in the face of war criminals or give up their right to Palestine as an independent State with its capital in Jerusalem. Nor would they abandon the dream of a just and comprehensive peace. The first step was the immediate and unconditional implementation of resolution 1402 (2002). "Let’s do that together", he urged.

Britain’s UN Ambassador, Jeremy Greenstock, associated himself with the statement to be made on behalf of the European Union. He was very disturbed by the rise in tension along the Blue Line, which must be reversed. He strongly endorsed the EU’s condemnation of the recent attacks and shared the concern of its Irish partners on that issue. Adding to the EU’s statement, he said his country found the escalating Israeli military action following the adoption of resolutions 1402 (2002) and 1403 (2002) "intolerable". That amounted to a defiance of the Council, and he condemned it.

He demanded the immediate withdrawal of areas under the responsibility of the Palestinian Authority. In addition, he expected Israel to fully respect humanitarian norms and prevent human rights abuses. Jeremy Greenstock said that on the Palestinian side, whatever the motivation, there had been an equivocation about resorting to violence under a wider scope. The Palestinian leadership must be unequivocal in opposing suicide bombing and, then, in taking action to see that those were prevented.

In the context of talk about a further resolution, he advised the Council against the debasing of the currency of its resolutions. Israel’s actions, while they continued, were amounting to self-condemnation. He hoped they stopped now, but, if not, the reaction would be far more compelling than another version of the Council’s earlier texts. He also wished to allow the diplomats in the region to take the operational lead in bringing "this horrific episode" to a close. Third party involvement had now become absolutely essential, and that could extend to monitoring. When the Council next put effort into a new resolution, it should be to spell out, with clarity and unanimity, "the political route out of this quagmire".

In this issue, we are continuing our postings from Aisa Kiyosue of the Department of Peace Studies at Bradford University. Aisa is a member of the international peace volunteers of the International Solidarity Movement who have from March 29 been protesting in Palestine against the occupation and human rights abuses by the Israel Defence Force. She was shot in the leg by an IDF soldier and hospitalised.

Despatch 5: April 5

Dear Friends,

Hi! How are you doing? Thank you very, very much for emailing me. I am emailing you from the Muslim quarter in the Old City, East Jerusalem. In front of the Damascus gate (this is one of the gates to get into the old city), the IDF soldiers were checking people's baggage and ID cards. It seems that young male Palestinians are not allowed to get into the Old City. Today is Friday, so many Muslims want to go to the Al Aqusa Mosque in the Old City. The IDF and Police Force are afraid of a clash with these Palestinian youth. Hey, the IDF, you don't have to be afraid! You have GOOD machine guns with you all the time. Anyway, I had to show my bag and passport to get into the City. The soldier was quite friendly to me...

While I am in East Jerusalem, I have been regularly contacting the ISM activists in Bethlehem (hotel and refugee camps). It seems that they are fine so far. I just talked to some of them in the Azzah camp on the phone (some of them have mobile phones). They are very worried about my injury... I am fine. According to them, electricity is still working, but foods are limited. Surely the ISM members in Jerusalem have to discuss how we can send foods to these refugee camps from Jerusalem. Bethlehem is declared as the military zone. So it should be very hard to do it. I will do my best. I am very, very worried about people, especially children in the refugee camps whom I met when I stayed there.

Last night I talked to one of the Palestinian ISM activists on the phone. He said that the IDF destroyed many things. Injured people in the Church of Nativity had no way to access to hospitals. The IDF has stopped the access. One of the ISM activists in Jerusalem will negotiate with the International Red Cross about this issue in the afternoon.

This afternoon, I will be interviewed with Fuji TV (a Japanese TV company). I will explain the situation in Bethlehem in the interview. At night I will see one of the news reporters from Asahi News Paper to talk about the International Solidarity Movement. It seems that Japanese mass media are stuck to our messy politics in Japan now. They are not interested in Palestine issues although horrible things are happening in Palestine.

I will keep informing you. Lots of love Aisa

Despatch 6: April 10

Dear Friends,

Hello! How are you doing? I hope that you are fine. I am so sorry that I have not sent my diary for a few days. I have been very busy doing some activities. Two days ago, I visited Hebron with a Theology of Liberation Christian group for solidarity with Palestinians there. Before visiting Hebron, we tried to go to Bethlehem because all of us were so worried about the Palestinian people who fled to the Church of Nativity because of the invasion and attack by the IDF. But we were denied to get through the checkpoint to Bethlehem by the IDF. The IDF said to us that Bethlehem was the military zone and no one except for Jews who wanted to visit the Rachels Stone could get through the checkpoint. The Rachels Stone is a holy place for Jews. It is also used as a military base by the IDF. So we decided to go to other check point at Beit Jala, which was located near Bethlehem, to get to Bethlehem. We were denied to get through again by the IDF. So we had to give up to go to Bethlehem. Bombing and shooting sounds were heard from the Bethlehem areas when we were standing on the road near the Beit Jala check point. When I heard the sounds, I thought of people at the refugee camps in Bethlehem and became very sad. They have had enough. On the way to Hebron, I saw some settlements from our bus windows. Many Palestinians must have lived on the lands before these settlements were built. Many Palestinians lost their own lands and became refugees whilst these settlers obtained these lands. Stop expanding settlements! The Christian Peacemaker Team was waiting for us at Hebron, and they took us to the old city of Hebron. When I saw the city, I became speechless, because the city looked like a ghost town. Shops were closed and only few Palestinians were walking around the city. Star marks were drawn on these shop doors by settlers. Some Israelis have occupied the centre of the city, being protected by the IDF. I saw many IDF soldiers were checking the town. I have visited Hebron before (18 months ago). At that time, this city was still active. Many shops were opened and many Palestinians were walking on streets. Now almost ghost town. It seemed that Palestinians stayed in their home because they were so scared of the IDF. A big shock for me. It seemed that the IDF soldiers hated the Christian Peacemaker Team, because they have been monitoring violence against Palestinians by the IDF for a few years. When we were walking, a few IDF soldiers came to us and asked one of the CPT staff members to show her passport (harassment!). They said to us that we were not allowed to go inside the centre of the old city. She negotiated with the soldier, and we were watching the negotiation. Afterwards, whist we were watching the negotiation, we saw that some of our members were walking into the centre from the different direction (we separated into several groups), so we insisted to the soldier that some people from our group were allowed to get into the centre. The soldier finally allowed us to walk into the centre. Afterwards, my leg started aching, so I decided to have a rest in the CPT office for a while. Actually it takes a bit of time for me to walk. Don’t worry! I can walk slowly.

Yesterday, I visited Ramallah to see a situation of the main hospital with new ISM activists and some Japanese journalists. These new ISM activists were to join some activities in Ramallah. I knew that a checkpoint to get to Ramallah was closed for non-Ramallah residents. So we got off a service taxi near the checkpoint, and crossed a small hill near the checkpoint to avoid it (10 to 15 minutes walk). Settlements were seen forward. So I started to be scared a lot because I have heard that settlers often shoot Palestinians from settlements. I can walk slowly, but I can not run. I did not want to give any troubles to other ISM members and the journalists. Fortunately we could cross the small hill without any problems, and we found out Palestinian taxis. After taking the taxis, we had to get out the taxis 5 or 10 minutes later. Because some Palestinians on the street told us that we should not go forward any more because the IDF soldiers were inside occupied buildings over there. One of the ISM activists saw a soldier in one building. When we were thinking how we could get to the hospital, an ambulance came to the same street by chance, and ambulance driver gave a lift to us (the ambulance took different roads to the hospital). On the way to the hospital, we were stopped by the IDF soldiers suddenly. My heart started to beat. The soldiers ordered us to get out from the ambulance. All of us showed our passports and said to them that we would like to go to hospital to send some foods and water to injured people. Whist they were checking our passports and our belongings, some soldiers were pointing their machine guns at us. They were about 10. I asked one of the soldiers not to shoot us. He said we won’t shoot you . 20 or 30 minutes later, we were released and managed to get to the hospital. I felt as if it was a long time. After arriving at the hospital, we heard shooting and bombing sounds several times. The IDF soldiers shot on the road along the hospital. It was very horrible. Patients in the hospital are in such a condition. They must hear these sounds from morning to evening. According to one of the ISM organisers in Ramallah, the hospital has some foods for their patients. But these foods are simple. People in Jenin, Bethlehem and Nablus need more aids. Some ISM activists carried foods and medicines to Nablus by walking for a few hours two days ago. It must have been a very hard mission.

After spending several hours in the hospital, the journalists, one of the ISM activists and I left the hospital for Jerusalem. The hospital ambulance gave us a lift again to the checkpoint. This time, we crossed the checkpoint officially to get back to Jerusalem (we can cross the checkpoint without any problems to get out from Ramallah). Now some of the ISM activists in Jerusalem are planning to have a humanitarian aid project for those injured Palestinians with some Palestinians living in Jerusalem. Many Palestinians in Bethlehem, Ramallah, Jenin and Nablus need immediate protection. They need foods, clothes, medicine and water and so on. I will send you the details of the project later. Yes, we need more internationals to support Palestinians here NOW. If you are interested in coming to Palestine for solidarity, please let me know.

[…]

Best wishes

Aisa

A Statement of the University of Sussex Solidarity Society Delegation to Palestine on its arrival back in this country says:

Having just returned from the occupied Palestinian city of Ramallah, we can report to you that the Israeli state is conducting nothing short of a campaign of terror against the civilian population in that city and many others.

We were in Ramallah to experience and document the realities of life under foreign occupation, but as the city was invaded on the morning after our arrival, we also assisted in humanitarian relief efforts in the area.

During our visit we were fired on in marked ambulances carrying the sick and injured, our colleagues were physically abused, food and medical supplies were thrown into the street, and ambulance drivers were consistently arrested and prevented from doing their work. One driver was detained for six days without charge in abusive and humiliating conditions. Houses in which members of our group stayed were raided and ransacked by Israeli soldiers, who also looted nearby houses and shops.

The medical relief centre from which we were working was shelled and had the bodies of dead Palestinians dumped on its doorsteps. We have met families of innocent civilians killed in this past week, and we know that this practice continues. And, as the water supply has been deliberately cut and people cannot leave their homes, thousands in Ramallah are still without food and water.

The British government prides itself on its humanitarianism and its humanitarian concerns for our personal safety led to calls for our evacuation.

But is it really humanitarian for the British Labour government to supply weaponry, diplomatic and political support to a state like Israel which practices collective punishment on a whole population, is conducting a military occupation which violates international law and which is denying basic supplies to tens of thousands of people?

We have seen humanitarianism not in the policies of the British government, but in the actions of the Palestinian people. It is the Palestinians who are putting all their efforts into ending the key obstacle to the delivery of basic services and provision of a decent way of life: the Israeli occupation of their towns and villages.

We call on our government to end its support for Israeli state terror, to cut all military, political and diplomatic backing for Israel and to vigorously back the immediate implementation of UNSC resolutions 242, 338 and resolution 1402.

And we call on the British people to realise that they have no interest in supporting Israel's brutal suppression of the Palestinians. Even as we in England are being forced out of our homes by spiralling rents and cowboy landlords, they are facing Israel's genocidal policy of expulsion from their own land, enforced by the terrorism of the IOF, Israel occupation forces, with its bulldozers and tanks.

A Palestinian spokesperson made this official statement on April 8, 2002:

The Israeli New Nazi occupation forces are escalating their military campaign against the Palestinian people in their cities, villages and refugee camps and against the Palestinian democratically elected Leadership. They are also demolishing houses, buildings, Churches, Mosques, infrastructure and public and private facilities.

All Palestinian populated places are under siege while the Israeli criminal occupation forces are invading houses arresting civilian citizens, breaking into the Palestinian shops, workshops and factories, looting everything, breaking into banks and stealing cash and property, and stealing women’s jewellery.

The occupation forces have destroyed all the water supply systems and the electricity grid as well as communications, aside from banning reporters and journalists from entering the occupied places so they cannot expose the Israeli-made atrocities.

The food and drugs shortages are escalating to a dangerous degree.

They are also besieging President Arafat’s HQ in Ramallah, by intensifying their presence, and more troops and war equipment are being brought to the front of the presidential HQ.

Nablus: the invasion is still ongoing and facing fierce resistance in the Nablus refugee camps of Balata and Askar. While in the old quarter of the ancient city, the occupation is shelling it using missiles, rockets and bombs launched from US-manufactured Apache Helicopters, destroying Mosques and historical and ancient buildings in an attempt to over take the old city with no success, all the occupation forces managed to do is to prevent the Red Cross and the Red Crescent ambulances and medical teams from helping the many wounded civilians and fighters, forbidding the Palestinians even from burying their martyrs.

Jenin: the invading occupation forces are still shelling the Jenin Refugee Camp using artillery, tanks and Apache helicopter gunships, taking over some surrounding houses and looting their contents, demolishing many to make way for the advancing tanks. The camp suffers lack of water, food and medications. And furthermore the invaders have taken over the only hospital in the camp preventing the wounded and the sick from getting help in the hospital.

Bethlehem: is still under heavy siege where the occupation is escalating its practices against the citizens preventing the Christians from attending their Churches for Sunday prayers; they have also cut water and electricity from the Nativity Church, which they shelled this morning causing a fire in one wing, and killing one of the Palestinian national security while he was fighting the fire when an Israeli sniper shot him dead.

Ramallah: the invading occupation forces are tightening the siege around the Presidential HQ, while the Israeli soldiers are shooting their gunfire at a high pace towards the President's room as a provocation and an attempt at mental terror against the President and his assistants. At the same time they are carrying out arrests, invading civilian houses and looting and stealing jewellery and cash, burning and destroying the rest.

While Qalqilya, Hebron and the Gaza Strip are still under criminal Israeli attacks, where houses are shelled and invaded, for the purpose of arrest and theft.

This military rapid escalation before the coming visit of the US Secretary of State indicates that the Israeli government headed by Sharon pays no attention and does not respect the US President, the US Secretary of State, the US National Security Adviser, the UN Secretary, the EU, Russia and the UN Security Council’s appeals to this criminal government to immediately withdraw from the Palestinian occupied lands.

The Political Editor of the Palestine News Agency WAFA, wrote this despatch, datelined Gaza, April 8, 2002:

Carefully studying the joint press conference of the US President and the British Prime Minister, in which they recommended the Israeli withdrawal from the occupied Palestinian cities, villages and refugee camps, we reach the following conclusions:

First: The US and the British partners gave the criminal Israeli Prime Minister Sharon and his forces another green light to accomplish what they had started two weeks ago, when they declared that they should withdraw from the occupied lands but did not say immediate withdrawal. It is the same green light that was given to Sharon at the beginning of the recent assault covered by mentioning the operation in Nethanya, Haifa and elsewhere, but omitting the current massacres in the Palestinian lands against unarmed Palestinian civilians.

Both men, Bush and Blair, intended to overlook the organised Israeli state terror, brutally practised against the Palestinian civilian citizens, civilians that forced Mofaz to personally orchestrate the barbaric military operations in Jenin Refugee Camp. Here we shall presume that the former commander of the campaign in Jenin stopped at the limits where he could proceed no further with the killing and massacring of civilians by a complete penetration of the camp, so Mofaz relieves the commander from his position, replacing him in person, in order to proceed with the killing and the massacring in the one square mile refugee camp.

What does that mean? It means that the US justify the Israeli crimes that are godfathered by the Administration, and committed against the Palestinians, while the British continue their historic crimes against the Palestinians, as they also did with the Native Americans when they massacred them, and it seems that they have a mental complex called Palestinians!

Second: President Bush spoke meaningless words about President Arafat and his supportive people, yet we are not categorising President Bush but he stands in a very fragile zone, his logic is pathetic and convinces no one in the world.

Whoever demands from President Arafat that he should stop the suicidal operations and preserve Israeli security while His Excellency is detained in a three room part of his office must be underestimating not only the Palestinians’ intelligence but the Arabs’ and the world’s as well.

Bush has justified the Israeli incursion, and massacres, waiting for President Arafat to surrender and submit to the Israeli dictate and terms for the one-sided peace. But the most dangerous part of President Bush’s speech two days ago is when he said that President Arafat disappointed him and he did not fulfil his commitments. An attitude that might be interpreted as imposing psychological pressure and mental terror! It seems that President Bush, who is led by mysterious party that recommended that he should neglect President Arafat and repeat the pressure until H.E. breaks and kneels down, is unaware of the powers that motivate a symbol to materialise his national goals.

President Arafat summarised this power when he launched his historic phrase: "They want me prisoner, fugitive or dead, I tell them Martyr…martyr…martyr", this power that performs miracles. So Arafat will not surrender and will not give up, the US scheme will never achieve its objective, but will boomerang back bearing blood and the responsibility for the killings, and filling the Arab and the Moslem nation with hate and rage towards the US.

Third: Bush has proven that he became a puppet not only in the hands of the various US institutions, but in Jewish and Israeli hands also. Yesterday he reached another climax of hypocrisy when he said that the US is the most loyal friend of Israel, burdening the US with the Palestinian blood shed in the Jenin Refugee Camp while the cameras were prevented from recording the Holocaust which is taking place, reminding us of the massacres of Sabra and Shatila in the darkness of the night where cameras were also prevented from documenting the massacre.

President Bush, and the British Prime minister who is the heir of the Palestinian historical "Nakba" (Holocaust), are both responsible for every Palestinian drop of blood that has been shed in the Palestinian occupied lands by the Israeli criminal forces since their joint press conference, in which they were busy exchanging complements and hypocritically praising each other in front of the cameras, while behind closed doors they granted Sharon a license to kill the Palestinians in the Jenin Refugee Camp, to proceed with the massacre parade, to terrorise and frighten the Palestinians in their cities, towns, villages and refugee camps.

Fourth: The two heroes attacked Iraq, undoubtedly revealing that the entire region is targeted, and that there is a plan for re-mapping the whole region, according to the US and British interests, which is being initiated right now, and that they are speeding the Palestinian matter in order to move to the next step, which consists not only of Iraq but Syria, Lebanon and other Arab countries as well.

We do not know if the Arab Foreign Ministers urgently convening now in Cairo, to discuss the situation and to take measures to protect their safety, are aware of the current situation?

From under the siege, the ruins and the massacres we can answer that question and say that it is not too late, but we will prolong this time according to our capability, because Arafat is not saving his life and the Palestinians are not giving up their national goals.