People's Democracy

 EDITORIAL

  Restrain Israel From Rogue Behaviour!

FOLLOWING in the footsteps of its big brother, US imperialism, Israel has embarked on its own doctrine of preemptive action by launching a blatant act of military aggression on Syria.  Such a military assault on a sovereign country that has offered no immediate provocation is a brazen defiance of all existing international law and norms. Israel needs to be outrightly condemned by the entire international community.

Mere condemnation by itself, however, is not sufficient. The United Nation’s secretary general, Kofi Annan, who only last week warned the UN General Assembly about the dangerous implications of this new doctrine of preemptive action, must follow up his pronouncements by proposing a series of counteractions like sanctions to rein in Israel. 

In such an eventuality, the USA will surely exercise its veto to protect Israel.     The USA did so last month when an overwhelming majority of the Security Council and the General Assembly members condemned Israel for its public declaration to eliminate the president of the State of Palestine, Yasser Arafat.  In the General Assembly, alongwith two micro island states, the USA was the only country to have voted with Israel.  Similarly, on this occasion, not only has the USA refused to condemn Israel  aggression against Syria, but has gone further to support Israel’s unproven allegations that Syria harbours terrorists. This only reconfirms, if any reconfirmation was ever required, that US imperialist support to Israel is the basic cause for the continuing deaths, misery and tensions in West Asia.

This military aggression has been mounted when, under imperialist pressure, Syria had already closed down the offices of Hamas and Islamic Jihad.  It must be borne in mind that by denying Palestinians their homeland,  US imperialism and Israel have forced millions of Palestinians to live in neighbouring countries such as Syria and Jordan. To use the presence of Palestinian population as the excuse for military aggression, is simply unacceptable and cannot be tolerated. 

It is good that this Vajpayee government has condemned Israeli attacks against Syria. Such condemnation will lack all sincerity unless India mounts international pressure to restrain Israel from embarking on further military aggressions in the region. Playing host to Ariel Sharon on the one hand, and expressing support to the Palestinian cause on the other, is like hunting with the hounds while running the hares. At least now, this Vajpayee government must clearly see that the main reason for the turmoil in West Asia is the illegal Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands.

International public opinion must be mounted to strengthen the solidarity with the Palestinians  who are struggling for their just cause for a homeland.  Those denying this fundamental right to the Palestinians are the true “rogue states” of this world.