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Middle East terrorism - causes and solutions
by
Jamal A. Shurdom
In
the wake of the barbaric terrorists attack on
the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon, it is important for us to remind
Washington that the causes of Middle East terrorism are mainly the result
of the unresolved Arab-Israeli conflict. In dealing with Middle East
terrorism, Washington may want to consider the following points which, I
believe, could be the key to an “acceptable,” everlasting peace and
security in the area:
1) Arab-Israeli mutual
recognition, respecting the Israelis' right to exist in peace, freedom,
security and sovereignty within the 1948 borders and the Palestinians'
rights to an independent, sovereign state.
2) Internationalisation of the
Holy City of Jerusalem, or respect for any agreement reached between Arabs
(Palestinians) and Israelis. Jerusalem is the seat for all religions. No
political identity has sovereign rights over this city. It is the eternal
capital of humanity and peace.
3) Israelis should withdraw
from the Arab lands occupied in 1967, including the Golan Heights and
southern Lebanon.
4) All Jewish settlements
should be removed from the Arab lands occupied in 1967.
5) The unjustified UN-imposed
sanctions on Iraq should be lifted. The innocent people and children of
Iraq are suffering as a result of these sanctions. Iraqi-American
face-to-face talks would be the only channel to avoid wars and to reach
some kind of understanding. Late King Hussein's wise idea of a direct
US-Iraqi dialogue should be seriously considered
6) The arms race in the Middle
East should come to an end. This requires eliminating all nuclear and
chemical arsenal in the region, be it Israeli, Arab, Iranian, etc. A
comprehensive ban on chemical and nuclear tests should be imposed and
military activities in the Middle East controlled. In the meantime, the US
should propose and enforce mutual weapons reductions, and a ceiling on the
number and quality of conventional weapons. Constraints should also be
imposed on the modernisation of some strategic weapons. This arms
reduction must be fair to all sides, adequately verified, and leading to
mutual security. It is important to remember that experts determined “that
Israel had (still does) the world's sixth-largest stockpile of nuclear
weapons.
7) American and British troops
should withdraw from the Arab Gulf states. There are many other ways,
besides military presence (occupation), to maintain and secure vital oil
interest in the region without the provocation of Muslims and Arab
nationalist regimes' legitimate concerns regarding their sovereignty and
independence.
8) Democracy and human rights
in the area should be supported. This is the age of technology and massive
communications. This is the age of democracy and human rights. This is the
age of the beginning of peoples' political power. This is the age of the
end of dictatorships and the rule of the “elite” minority over the
majority. This the age when governments follow the people, not the other
way round.
9) It should always be
remembered that Israel is not the United States. Israel might be enjoying
a very special relationship with the US, due to the existence of a very
powerful Zionist lobby in Washington. But the fact remains that Israel is
still a foreign country for the Americans. No country can be trusted
(including Israel) with sensitive classified information (Jonathan
Pollard's case). Israel's “nonsense” wishes, expansionist aspirations and
greedy ambitions, its “spoiled” behaviour, are threatening the US national
security and interests in this vital region. Israel cannot survive without
the US Congress' generous economic and military foreign aid.
Based on these unshakeable
facts, the US should be able to design a “fair road” for the Israelis to
take, a road built on the human principles so dear to Americans.
Israel's expansionist,
reckless behaviour damages the US national interest in the region and the
long-term perception of Israel's national security. The Israelis have to
understand that they need the Arabs, not otherwise.
An American evenhanded policy
is needed as a solid base to counter these serious causes of terrorism.
Americans do not want to see their president's office become a rubber
stamp in the hands of foreign lobbyists. President George W. Bush's most
recent public statement in support of the possibility of the establishment
of an independent Palestinian state is laudable. This is a much needed
move by President Bush, a step in the right direction. Peace should be
judicious for both the Israelis and the Palestinians.
An escalation of any military
confrontation to confront terrorism might lead to more terrorists or
degenerate into a bloody conflict between the West and Islam. It is about
time that to treat the disease and not just the symptoms. The despairing
Middle East people need American's help. America should give serious
attention to both sides of the Arab-Israeli equation. There will be no
peace and security where political freedom and human justice don't exist.
The writer is a senior consultant on
international affairs, national security, strategic studies and American
Federal Government. He is the executive director of the Middle East
Consultations and Research Analysis( MECRA ) as well as an adjunct
professor of international affairs, Politics and International Law.
Source:
by courtesy & © 2001 Jordan
Times & Jamal A. Shurdom
by the same
author:
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