- Red carpets have been rolled
back. Trombones no longer blare and drums no longer boom.
There are no endless formations of goose stepping soldiers to
receive, honor and march to a seemingly never ending
procession of kings, princes and heads of state. The
helicopters no longer hover overhead and sentries posted
throughout Amman no longer keep vigil. Streets are no longer
blockaded or cordoned off and traffic moves more frantically
than ever. The grandest of all hotels, where dignitaries
congregated, looks like a tinsel ghost town.
-
- And so it has all ended. The
fancy eloquent loooooooooooooong speeches, the indecision, the
hesitation to take any decisive action, the overflowing
rhetoric, the beating around the bush and countless press
conferences where some of those who staged such scenes
sugar-coated the failure of the whole scenario.
-
- Yes, there was pomp and
ceremony. The silk cloaks, the gold braided head bands, the
expensive suits, the army of attendants and body guards all
disappeared in a swoosh as suddenly as they had come. Across
the boundless stretches of red carpets, leaders, heads of
state, kings, princes and all floated back to their respective
extravagant palaces to forget once more until the next summit,
Palestinian children dying in the streets.
-
- Even before the disintegration
of the summit, Israel launched deadly attacks on Palestinian
cities. Israeli helicopters bombarded Palestinian security
forces and the home of Palestinian President Yasser Arafat was
damaged in the process.
-
- The greatest thing that came out
of the summit was that the Arab leaders, staunch make-believe
defenders of Palestinian rights, human rights, justice,
freedom, and the Holy Land agreed to "support" the
Intifida. Support here means to nod their heads in sympathy
when a Palestinian child or elderly person dies on the streets
or in their homes. Support means that the millionaire, or
rather shall we say billionaire rulers, pay by proxy for
Palestinian babies to die on their behalf in defense of Haram
al-Sharif. It’s ok if Palestinian kids die as long as the
sons and daughters of the nobility are fed with diamond spoons
and pampered in ways the ordinary could never imagine. In
fact, it would be no big deal if Israel killed all
Palestinians as long as the Arab leaders remain untouched.
-
- As expected, during the summit,
elaborate banquets were spread out on miles and miles of
ornate tables. And bellies, some of them hanging hopelessly
over imaginary belts, were stuffed to the max on feasts fit
for kings and princes and the like. Some of the poverty
stricken masses did manage to stare through the stained glass
windows of Le Meridien at the feasts spread out before their
eyes, but they were dismissed by a wave of multi-ringed royal
hands to the tune of, "Hmph! If they can’t afford to
buy bread, let them eat biscuits instead."
-
- During the summit, two suicide
bombers blew themselves up, taking with them an Israeli or
two. Though any act against civilian targets cannot be
condoned regardless of who the instigator is, such suicide
bombings are a result of the frustrations and utter despair of
Palestinians living under the most brutal occupation.
-
- CNN no longer pretends to report
the news of Palestinians being slaughtered with any
objectivity. A stone thrown by infant Palestinian David’s is
defined as "violence" while Israeli helicopters,
army jeeps, tanks, and soldiers who shoot to kill the
innocents are defined as those who are merely enforcing law
and order in the form of "reprisals."
-
- George W. Bush had the insolence
to stand up in front of the world and condemn Palestinians who
are fighting not just for freedom and liberty anymore, but for
their very lives and then say that it is time the Palestinian
Authority contains the violence and those who are responsible
for it. Obviously he conveniently forgot that it is Israeli
jeeps, tanks, gunboats and helicopters that bombard
indiscriminately Palestinian civilian targets on Palestinian
land. Obviously he forgot to mention that there are no
Palestinian jeeps, tanks, gunboats and helicopters bombarding
Israeli homes and civilian targets. It is beyond a doubt that
this "born again" Christian has been listening to
too many Billy Graham sermons. In case you forgot who Rev.
Graham is, he is the rich and famous evangelist who
"blessed" George Senior’s bombing of Iraq.
-
- Bush’s condemnation followed
the US veto of a UN resolution that would provide UN observers
to protect Palestinian civilians from the war that is being
waged by Israel on the entire Palestinian community.
Apparently Bush too decided that it is ok if Palestinians
children are killed as long as the children who die are not
his own.
-
- The eloquent summit speeches
have not brought back any Palestinian children to life nor
replaced any limbs that have been amputated. Arab leaders have
promised to pay $40 million a month for a period of 6 months
to the Palestinian Authority. But who will pay hard cash to
the orphans of the Intifada, to those who are permanently
impaired, to those who are starving? It is not very likely
that any of the $40 million a month will reach those who so
desperately need financial support.
-
- The Arab leaders did not deliver
an ultimatum to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon nor did
they demand the Americans tell the Israelis to stop their
Holocaust of the Palestinians. Bush has not asked that the
siege of the Palestinian homes and cities be lifted, nor
insisted that Israelis get off Palestinian backs.
-
- The Arab leaders did have a
chance to insist that there be a just, comprehensive peace
based on fairness, equality and the inalienable rights of all
concerned parties. They had the power to make demands to issue
threats not in the name war but in the name of justice, in the
name of freedom, in the name of human decency. Arab leaders
had their chance, they have the power, the money and the means
but here again, they don’t have the guts, they simply don’t
care and most of them are client-agents of American and
Israeli whims. They left the summit as they began it,
unwilling to make any sacrifices, unwilling to unite on a
common cause but willing to let the slaughter of Palestinian
civilians continue.
-
- Meanwhile, Palestinians will
continue to bury their dead as the massacre goes on.
