New Leadership
(Signs of the Time - May 2001)
This month’s article will look at Israel’s new Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, and examine how he is dealing with the Palestinians in their quest for a homeland. As well, the article will briefly examine the role the new U.S. government is playing in the Middle East.
A new weapon
On March 28, 2001, the Israeli military forces executed a series of air attacks on
Palestinian targets on the West Bank and Gaza Strip. In times past, these attacks would
have been classified as acts of aggression on behalf of the Israeli government, but since
Sharon has taken over the reins of power, the raids have been reported as "a war
against terrorism." The new weapon Sharon has been using in battling the
Palestinians is nothing more than a weapon of words. By reclassifying the Palestinian
actions as acts of terrorism, Sharon has managed to utilize and justify whatever means
necessary to quell the violence. And the means Sharon finds necessary to stop this
violence include sealing villages and towns as well as bombing Yasar Arafat’s
presidential guard, known as Force 17.
The New York Times reported, March 28, 2001: "Tonight the Israeli helicopters bombarded a security camp of the Force 17 presidential guard in Ramallah, and four different Force 17 sites in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian officials said. They said that a first lieutenant in Mr. Arafat’s personal guard was killed in Ramallah, and that a civilian woman was killed as well. About 65 Gazans were injured, 2 critically; most were Force 17 members, the officials said."
According to a statement by the Israeli Defense Forces, "The purpose was to target those directly responsible for terror, since recently the Palestinian Authority has been responsible for targeting innocent civilians and for the deterioration of the situation." A statement from Sharon’s office indicated the air raids were the first in a series of "pinpoint attacks" planned to strike those Palestinians Israel holds responsible for violence and terrorism. If the Palestinian Authority did not act to prevent terrorism, the Israeli military would respond in "self-defense." The statement went on to say, "The government’s guiding principle is constant and persistent action against the terrorists, as well as against those who both dispatch and assist them. The policy will be directed at terrorist elements."
The New York Times continued to report: "Palestinian officials said that Mr. Sharon had sealed Palestinians inside their villages and cities. They said that restrictions have not been sufficiently eased, and that their population is being suffocated economically and psychologically by an Israeli siege. The Israelis are responsible for provoking a violent revolt against their occupation of West Bank and Gaza territories, the Palestinian officials said, and neither Israelis nor foreigners understand Palestinian violence against Israelis in context, as a reaction. Mr. Sharon does not want to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict but to defer it, they said, and so the Palestinian leadership is insufficiently motivated to restrain the uprising of its own people."
By attacking targets operated by Force 17, Yasser Arafat’s elite forces, Sharon has made no distinction between Arafat and other Palestinian elements. Instead, he is holding the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) responsible for the entire Palestinian community. In effect, Sharon has declared a war against Arafat and the PNA, saying this is an enemy government with an armed force that the Israelis intend to destroy.
Brilliant strategy
This strategy seems brilliant in the short-term. Having recently experienced terrorism
on their own soil, the U.S. Government fully supports any nation with its attempts to
stamp out terrorism. With the Bush government’s Middle East policy differing greatly
from the Clinton policy of high-profile, high-pressure negotiations, it is playing
directly into Sharon’s hands. By assuming a reduced U.S. role in the region, the
governments of Egypt, Jordan and Syria have experienced fewer problems with their own
internal opposition. While the United States was directly involved in the region,
extremists used this involvement as a rally cry for opposition to their Arab governments.
With the United States operating in the background, Arab countries have been forced to
deal with the most pressing issue at hand – their battered economies. In essence, the
economy has forced any peace initiative to take a backseat.
The Stratfor.com website reported on Sharon’s next move: "Sharon would like to mount a definitive operation to break the Palestinian military and paramilitary forces. Any such attack would disperse and disrupt them but would also drive them underground. His other option is to use air power – in this case helicopter gunships – to impose such a high cost on the Palestinians that Arafat would sue for peace."
It seems that Israel’s new Prime Minister has found a solution for dealing with the enemy who lives within. By labeling the Palestinian acts of aggression as terrorism, Sharon has created a vehicle that will allow him to control and literally kill the opposition. The old military strategist is now able to exercise his control both politically and militarily.
Today, we find ourselves in the position that the world is not crying out the words of peace and safety, nor is the nation of Israel. However, as Sharon continues to exert his control over the Palestinian people, it may be that peace is achieved in the Middle East through the use of force by the Israeli army. This, of course, would be an artificial peace – at best a temporary peace. A true and lasting peace can be achieved only by the divine intervention of our Master, let us pray that that day may come soon.
George Rayner