The Security Council resolution endorsing a Palestinian State would be welcomed by one and all, particularly as it has been moved by the United States of America. That the US had been unwavering in its support of Israel and had steadfastly clung to a marked pro-Tel Aviv stance is no secret. Even the recent atrocities mounted against the Palestinians had found unhesitating approval in Washington and the media had promptly justified them as acts of ‘reprisal.’ Reprisal, indeed, is a word that has been used with such impunity and in so distorted a context that it seems to have acquired a new meaning altogether. Judging from the high-handedness displayed in Kashmir, the Middle East, and Chechnya it could be used for acts of commission and omission of state-sponsored adventurism undertaken ruthlessly to curb freedom struggles.
Coming in the wake of the well-meaning Saudi proposal to accord recognition to Israel in lieu of its return to the 1967 borders, the passage of the resolution breeds a great deal of optimism and appears to be propitiously timed. Washington has shown concern for the continuing tragedy from time to time though it has failed to act with the desired degree of firmness to bring about a resolution of the ongoing crisis. Even the death of young stone-throwing kids at the hands of well-armed soldiers has failed to precipitate a befitting response to curb violence in the Middle East. Does the passage of the resolution at the behest of the US herald a change? Perhaps, yes.
The Lincoln spirit permeates the White House. Inspired by Thomas Gray’s elegies he thought about the family of man. There was pain in his heart and humor on his lips as he set about to correct the inequities of the system in the United States. Some of his remarks and observations are still illuminating. A small sampling: “No man is good enough to govern another man without that other’s consent.” “As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of democracy.” “Am I not destroying my enemies when I make friends of them?” “With malice towards none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right - let us strive on to finish the work we are in.” “Military glory - the attractive rainbow that rises in showers of blood.” “The ballot is stronger than the bullet.”
The White House has also been the home of the perspicacious Eleanor Roosevelt who influenced the Americans to dispel biases and accept realities, the existence of the Soviet Union, for one. In the two World Wars that rocked Europe and tore it asunder, the US emerged as the savior and rescuer of the Allies. For the Third World masses eking out an agonizing existence, the US is regarded as a beacon of hope though they tend to demonstrate their manifest ambivalence for Washington when the US stance on some issues appears difficult to comprehend.
In talk shows and TV programs today one sees the Americans make their ‘we are the greatest’ claim. Instead they should be guided in molding their role in the world by the Qur’anic injunction to man: We have created you as the noblest.
Laura and George Bush who embellish the White House today could earn that role and distinction for the Americans. President Bush has already acted nobly in the post-9/11 period: he has faithfully avoided to label the Muslims as terrorists and has shown due deference to the Qurán and the Islamic faith. This is a good omen for the future.
Following the recent initiative of the US and Saudi Arabia, one hopes that Israel too would be inclined to play its part in bringing peace to the Middle East. Israel’s stakes in peace are also high. From a humanistic point of view, loss of life - whether in Palestine or Israel - is a cause of concern. One hopes Tel Aviv will pay due heed to an International Herald Tribune report ‘After Israel’s offensive, terrible toll, terrible hate:’ “Even while Israeli forces were occupying some Palestinian towns, they failed to snuff out resistance. On Thursday, for instance, when dozens of Israeli tanks were deployed throughout Ramallah, Palestinians gunmen still managed to fire from there at Psagot, a Jewish settlement across a valley just to the east. Perhaps sensing that the offensive failed in its ostensible goal of enhancing the nation’s security, the Israel public is in an increasingly surly mood, and more disenchanted than ever with its leaders. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, whose public support ran high for his first 10 or 11 months in office, is now plummeting in the polls.”
The mood of confrontation must give way to a spirit of conciliation and coexistence in the Middle East. The Saudi proposal merits serious consideration - by Israel as well as the Arab and Muslim countries.