Lack of ceasefire is not the problem [Archives:2002/14/Focus]

SAADI SALAMA
PALESTINIAN DIPLOMAT IN SANA’A
The solution for the current Palestinian-Israeli crisis is not a fragile ceasefire, but rather, for starters, its to implement the UN Security Council’s resolutions.
That takes the focus off Israeli and Palestinian fighting, and looks to the basic political issues.
Using that kind of international hand is the only way to establish a suitable atmosphere for calming the violence, and return a sense of trust which is needed for peaceful co-existence.
Also, the American government and peace envoys should look to deeper reasons why there is this terror against the Palestinian people who are bravely resisting it with their bare hands, naked chests and simple weapons.
If the key to solving the conflict was a ceasefire, it would have been solved long ago. A ceasefire is not important. The issues is looking at the motives behind the fighting of both sides.
Israel is investing and planning to prolong the occupation and enforce it by maintaining illegal settlements and building new ones, which is racism and discrimination against the Palestinians. Theyre depriving them of their natural and legal rights and theyre leading them to nowhere land by deceiving them and sabotaging their efforts to attain national goals and expectations.
The USA envoys are wasting their time with indecisive issues. Aren’t they aware of this fact? At the same time, they are trying to gain time by freezing the situation and cooling the area, so they can pass their schemes.
It appears also that what was is being said publicly by the US, is not the same as what is being said behind closed doors, as it relates to, for example, Americas position on Iraq.
So what really concerns us is the Palestinian issue, if they are too in the center of the Arab dispute?
Moreover, what about the Israeli terror waged against the Palestinian people?
As we have said, solving the crisis, that is the disaster caused by the Israel with the full knowledge of the US administration, will not come by cooling the atmosphere and freezing the area. It will only come by solving the essential and basic issues, starting with the political issues, then the occupation and the settlements, and then the terrorism launched against the Palestinian.
War is a result and not a reason. It is taking place because political issues, mainly Israeli occupation, have not been solved.
Palestinians, like any other people, do not want see the occupation to last any more, nor do they want to see their land confiscated for building more settlements. If the American administration wants to end the conflict, it has to deal with these roots, not the reaction, that is the fighting.
The Palestinian have nothing to lose, but they know that they have a lot to win even when seeing the Arab Leaders trembling around them. They have warned of explosions in the whole region: explosions that might be unseen and unpredictable.
Neglecting the rights and the will of people might lead to such unpleasant surprises. We think that the American people have suffered such surprises.

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