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NEWS & LETTERS, March 2002
Column: Our Life and Times by Kevin A. Barry and
Mary Holmes
Lebanonization of Middle
East conflict Spurred on by one-sided Bush
administration attacks on Palestinian Authority (PA) President Yasir Arafat, the
reactionary Israeli government of Ariel Sharon has ringed Arafat's headquarters
with tanks. Sharon has also stated publicly that he wishes he had killed Arafat
during the 1982 invasion of Lebanon. This was the same period during which
Sharon orchestrated a major war crime, the Shatila massacre of over 800
Palestinian civilians. Since the second Intifada began
in September 2000, 900 Palestinians and 300 Israelis have been killed. In recent
fighting, the U.S.-supplied Israeli army's ability to enter Palestinian areas
and kill lightly armed resisters without suffering casualties has been severely
challenged. A Palestinian bomb destroyed an Israeli tank in the Gaza Strip,
killing three soldiers. In another unprecedented development, Palestinian
fundamentalists launched a first-ever rocket attack into Israel from Gaza. This
suggested that a long-term Lebanon-type war might now be in the cards. Sharon's provocative actions
have fed the growth of terrorism. The ship that was caught smuggling arms from
fundamentalist Iran was one sign among many of growing links between the PA and
Iran, which backs Hamas. Equally disturbing was the forced resignation of PA
leader Sari Nusseibeh, who has challenged the demand that all refugees must
return to their pre-1948 homes rather than to a Palestinian state, something
that would effectively liquidate the State of Israel. On a positive note, more than
200 Israeli reservists announced that they will refuse to serve any longer as
occupiers of the West Bank or Gaza. In addition, the Israeli peace camp rallied
more than 10,000 people to demand unconditional withdrawal from Palestinian
lands, a rally addressed by Nusseibeh. (See story, page 10.) But these actions
will not deter the war criminal Sharon, as long as he has the go-ahead from
Bush. —Feb. 18, 2002 |
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