- Other Issues
- February 21, 2007
- 6 minutes read
Double Standard Policies
When Europe was invaded by the Nazis during WWII the nations of Europe glorified the patriotic resistance, even when this resistance was launched or led by Communist elements, as was the case in the Balkan.
General Josip Broz Tito was later installed President of six different ethnic communities united in the Socialist Republic of Yugoslavia.
The French Resistance was and is still glorified by the French Nation and has become a matter of pride and dignity.
General De Gaulle, a resisting Hero was installed as the Head of the Provisional Government of the fourth Republic of France after the Liberation.
The right to resist evil has been morally legalized by all International Bodies and Conventions.
This gives the right to all oppressed nations to defend themselves if they are invaded by an aggressive foreign country.
The expression of “Resistance” is definitely rejected by the occupying power which condemns such mutinous elements as “terrorists”.
Understandably this logic fits in the mentality of the invader intending to deligitimize the popular resistance in order to consolidate his military successes and keep his territorial gains.
If this is the logic of the aggressor, so what about the other countries adopting the logic of the invaders rather than sympathizing with the victims?!
One has to wonder about the moral attitude of peace loving and democratic nations in Europe, in particular those who suffered the pains and deprivation during WWII!
It is true that Europe suffers a kind of guilt complex towards European Jewry, and in order to repent their sins they have to be on the side of Israel, whether right or wrong.
Mutual interests in the Middle East have made of Israel the most reliable ally of Western strategies.
Israel has been made the strongest military power in the region exceeding the force of all neighboring states.
The sufferings of the Palestinians were totally marginalized and their legal resistance was condemned as “terrorist”, thus aligning themselves on the side of the aggressor and invader.
All UN resolutions were totally ignored and Security Council Resolutions adopted before or after the 67 war were never taken into consideration and never implemented.
The US Government used its Veto right in the Security Council between1972-2006 more than 40 times to shield Israel from critical draft resolutions and block any international decision condemning Israel’s evil practices in the Palestinian Occupied Territories.
Palestinian Resistance was either labeled as an ally of the Communist Soviet Union during the Cold War period, or condemned as “Islamist extremists”, especially after the success of Hamas in the Palestinian last year’s elections.
Hamas was attached to a new alliance, called as the “axis of evil” consisting of Iran, Syria, Hezbollah and Hamas.
The success of Hamas was used by Israel as an excuse to wash its hands from the Peace Process (President Bush’s Road Map) and stick to its classical precondition of “Recognizing” Israel, as if Hamas’s recognition is essential for the survival of the State of Israel.
By the way, the late President Yasser Arafat and the actual President Mahmoud Abbas have recognized the State of Israel since decades, but without being rewarded.
Yasser Arafat proclaimed a defacto recognition of the state of Israel in his famous UN Speech in New York since 1974, but not Israel’s occupation.
Regardless of this recognition, Israel continued to consolidate its presence in the occupied territories by building settlements, strangling East Jerusalem by isolating it from the rest of the West Bank territories, and lately by the construction of this ugly wall (higher than the Berlin Wall) inside the West Bank.
For the Israeli mind, criticizing Israel’s occupation is equal to questioning Israel’s existence and this is impermissible.
But it seems that main stream Europeans: Politicians and media have identified themselves with Israel’s unilateral discourse.
Israeli preconditions were adopted by Western Governments; which were always shy to ask Israel for an immediate withdrawal from Palestinian occupied lands in compliance with UN Resolutions.
Recently Western Governments went even further and participated with Israel in imposing a financial embargo on the Palestinian Authority which led to further deterioration of the living conditions of the Palestinian people.
An unprecedented measure of collective punishment and dehumanization imposed on the whole people for practicing their democratic rights.
The unexpected results of the January 2006 elections did not suit the Israelis or their allies.
They did not even make any effort to look for the causes of such an extremist outcome, which is due to the daily policy of oppression and humiliation practiced systematically by the occupation authorities.
(Oppression and occupation breeds violence and extremism).
In order to forestall all kinds of violent resistance or terrorism Israel has to do justice to the Palestinians and give them back their freedom.
Glorifying resistance is a noble act, but making peace is an act of wisdom and courage.
Therefore, it is not so difficult to note the double standard policies practiced unilaterally by some Western Governments.
They are siding with the aggressor against the victims who are yearning since more than four decades to see UN Resolutions being implemented and international human values honored.
* Mahmoud Labadi served as the spokesperson of the PLO in Lebanon until 1983. He was the director general of the Palestinian Legislative Council until his retirement in 2005.