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Why Mideast violence escalates
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Yang Fan
Middle East violence escalates
RELATIONS between Israelis and Palestinian have been strained since last September when the Ariel Sharon, the right-wing of Israel's right-wing Likud party detested by Palestinians, paid an unexpected visit to the sacred Temple Mount. Meanwhile, relations between Israel and its northern neighbours Lebanon and Syria have also deteriorated.
The clashes have lasted for seven months, skirmishes occasionally took place in this war-torn region.
Recently, Israel launched several fierce military attacks on the Palestinians and against Lebanon. Last week, Israel launched air strikes on Syrian military targets, and briefly reoccupied a Palestinian-controlled area on the Gaza Strip.
By undertaking these and other moves, the Sharon government has signaled its adoption of a hard-line policy. Since Ariel Sharon came into power in February, he has carried out an increasingly tough policy against the Palestinians and Israel's northern neighbours, thereby worsening the already tense relations between the Israelis and Palestinians, and effectively derailing the already floundering Middle East peace process.
When Sharon became Prime Minister, he told the Israeli Knesset that the first objective of his government was to strengthen national unity to curb violence and terrorism, and achieve security and stability. Accordingly, Sharon set the tone for the Middle East peace process: The Palestinians must stop violence and terrorist activities against Israel first. Otherwise, Israel will not resume negotiations. Sharon's hardline approach led to hightened conflict between Israel and Palestine, and has brought about mounting casualties, most of them Palestinians.
Sharon, a former army general, has long been famous -- or infamous -- for his "hawkish" style. He has strongly opposed making any substantial concessions to the Palestinians, in particular rejecting any attempt to discuss the final status of the Jerusalem and refusing the right Palestinian refugees to return to their former home. He even claimed that Israel would never give up the Golan Heights. This refusal to even discuss these issues is unacceptable to the Palestinians and Syria, which claims sovereignty over the Golan Heights.
Recent Israeli military attacks illustrate Sharon's refusal to make concessions. Sharon suggested he would accept an independent Palestinian state, but the future state would only control 42 per cent of the West Bank and 70 per cent of the Gaza Strip area, while its border would be under the full control of Israel, three conditions which are far short of Palestinian aspirations. Furthermore, Sharon continues to insist that a future Palestinian state could hold no military forces of its own and would not have the right to sign a treaty with Israel's adversaries. In effect, these tight constraints, all of which run contrary to the Oslo Accord, would effectively make a Palestinian state little more than an Israeli colony.
Part of the blame for Israel's hawkish attitude should be placed with Washington. The US has long been partial to Israel in its dealings with the Mideast peace process, and its recent "disengagement" has emboldened Israel's hawks. With the US as his shield, Sharon feels more secure in staging flagrantly aggressive military attacks without constraints. At the same time, the United States has exerted pressure on the Palestinians, plus Lebanon and Syria, for having not restrained terrorist attacks on Israel. The US announcement of "understanding" of the stern Israeli posture encouraged Sharon to go further, climaxing in the intense assaults on Palestinian and Syrian territories last week. The Israelis even killed Arafat's private bodyguards.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict continues to fester, creating new generations of young people filled with hate. The failure of the Middle East peace process only fueled more hate and extremism.
Although the Israeli-Palestinian clashes are escalating, they are unlikely to trigger a large-scale regional war. The Israeli-Palestinian conflicts have lasted for seven months, during which the international community has been calling for restraint from both sides and urging Israel and the Palestinians back to the table to hammer out a diplomatic solution. It was enormous international pressure which forced Israel to withdraw from Palestinian-controlled territory.
The Israeli Government has no reason to trigger a confrontation with the whole Arab world. The peace deals with Egypt, Jordan and several other Arab countries, and the self-rule given to the Palestinians are not in jeopardy.
The United States, meanwhile, intent on maintain regional stability and safeguarding its national interests in the Middle East, is unlikely to turn a blind eye to more aggressive adventures by Sharon. Washington joined in the criticism of Israel's foray into the Gaza Strip..
(The author is a specialist on Middle East issues and once served in Xinhua News Agency)
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