Bill Sykes' - In Retrospect
X.
(February 2008)
Bill Sykes
looks back in retrospect at material which has been published
in previous editions of "View from America",
in an attempt to determine whether the subject matter
written then is still applicable in today’s world.
Article #10B.
Extracted from the April,
2002 Edition of "View from America".
An ex-Brit gives his views---(without fear or favor
of the American scene).
Arab Summit. (Please note the date).
The Arab Summit convened today the 27th of March 2002,
was overshadowed by disagreements amongst the delegates
attending the summit when the Palestinian delegation
walked out in protest as apparently Lebanese President
Emile Lahoud blocked the broadcast that Mr. Yasser
Arafat was going to transmit live.
The reason given
for this omission was a fear that Mr. Sharon may use
latest video technology to hack into the program and
present his own views.
The summit opened without the
presence of three key Arab world figures, Mr. Arafat,
President Mubarak of Egypt and Jordan’s King
Abdullah.
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak told reporters that
he had made the decision to boycott the meeting to show
solidarity with Yasser Arafat. King Abdullah of Jordan
did not give a reason for his last minute decision not
to attend the summit.
It must be remembered that both Jordan and Egypt are
beholden to the United States for past financial assistance.
Crown Prince Abdullah’s basic peace proposal.
Israel.
Must withdraw from land seized by Israel after
the 1967 war: (The West Bank, Gaza, East Jerusalem,
and the Golan Heights).
Must agree the right of return for
Palestinian refugees.
Must accept an independent Palestinian
state with Jerusalem as its capital.
Arab States.
Must consider the Arab-Israeli conflict over.
Must
agree to a peace treaty for the region.
Must establish normal relations with Israel. (And
I would assume accept and recognize the State of Israel).
The continuing retaliatory strikes by both sides, with
the constant bloodshed, do not bode well for any immediate
peace treaty. The region is so unstable that once again
I must repeat the warning, "don’t hold your
breath for any peace treaty between the two sides in
the near or maybe distant future".
I named this chapter "The war goes on" but
looking back in retrospect, a war needs two active and
somewhat equal combatants, and as the Arabs are vastly
outgunned by the Israelis, perhaps the paragraph should
have been named "The conflict of two unequal and
opposite forces equates to a massacre" (a sort
of reversal of Sir Isaac Newton’s laws).
The bottom line.
Will the Israeli reprisal
against the Palestinian Arabs be so violent and bloody
that the world at large will condemn the action and demand
an end to this terrible conflict and set in motion the
segregation of the two combatants by enforced policing
of the country by United Nations forces. I can’t
ever see this occurring. I would suspect that Arafat’s
compound in Ramallah will come under heavy fire and that
an attempt will be made by the Israelis to detain Arafat.
The second scenario is more complex as it potentially involves
the question as to what will the surrounding Arab Nations
do now that they appear to have a somewhat unified approach
under the Saudi peace proposal to assisting their Palestinian
Arabs in their fight to regain an independent Arab State.
Disclaimer.
Some of the information gathered for this news letter
has been gleaned from American and International media
sources, (including the Internet), and as such is quoted
as accurately as possible. I try to obtain confirmation
from several outlets, so the text is a mixture of composite
news items and personal comments and therefore the
reader must make his/her own judgement as to the reliability
and degree of accuracy of the subjects discussed.
We
welcome feedback about any of the contents of these articles.
Please send all correspondence to bill_sykes@huddersfield1.co.uk
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