Musings from the Merse
Monday, July 31, 2006
Abroad thoughts from home. Musings from a Mess.
Bloggees from Jordan have asked why Huttonian has remained silent about the awful situation in Palestine and Lebanon. Actually he hasn't. He was asked together with five other 'experts'-two Jewish-to answer the question 'How to stop the killings' by the Political editor of the Sunday Herald-the Sunday edition of the better Scottish national daily: The Herald. The article is as follows:
Mission Improbable
12 Years ago, as British Ambassador to Jordan I witnessed the signing of a Peace Treaty between Israel and Jordan. As someone whose whole diplomatic career had been spent in the shadow of the bitter long running and bloody Arab-Israeli confrontation nothing had prepared me for the sight of Jordanian and Israeli Generals embracing one another and exchanging gifts as world leaders, including Bill Clinton looked on. And after the Oslo agreement of1993 there seemed a real chance of peace between the Israelis and Palestinians.
That was then. We are now back to the bad old days of bitter unrelenting conflict which is in danger of getting out of hand. A ceasefire? I doubt it as long as both Israel and Hizbullah believe they can deal each other mortal blows. If Israel does not get her way might she not turn on Syria and Iran as the sponsors of ‘terrorism’? And might she not do it with the tacit, at least, approval of Washington in hot pursuit of the remaining elements of the Axis of Evil.? And in Gaza the violence continues, Palestinians die, as the international community’s attention is diverted by the destruction of Lebanon.
What to do about it? Very little is practicable for the moment. Only the US has the leverage to rein in Israel and does not seem in the mood to do so if the main Israeli target remains ‘the terrorists’ of Hizbullah and a certain amount of collateral damage in Tyre, Sidon and Beirut is ’regrettable’ but ‘acceptable’ Innocent victims of the War on Terror. As for the Palestinians they feel they have little to lose in a one sided relationship with the ancient enemy. Their leadership is weak and divided and cannot bring their people to the negotiating table.
The British role. We are discredited throughout the Arab world because of our perceived lap dog relationship with Washington. All we can do is to yap at American heels-at best irritating, rarely influencing. We are getting good at that
Honorary Fellow University of Edinburgh. Formerly Ambassador to Kuwait and Jordan
Any one interested can rush out and get the SH before it is recycled and look on pages 41 and 43.
Bloggees from Jordan have asked why Huttonian has remained silent about the awful situation in Palestine and Lebanon. Actually he hasn't. He was asked together with five other 'experts'-two Jewish-to answer the question 'How to stop the killings' by the Political editor of the Sunday Herald-the Sunday edition of the better Scottish national daily: The Herald. The article is as follows:
Mission Improbable
12 Years ago, as British Ambassador to Jordan I witnessed the signing of a Peace Treaty between Israel and Jordan. As someone whose whole diplomatic career had been spent in the shadow of the bitter long running and bloody Arab-Israeli confrontation nothing had prepared me for the sight of Jordanian and Israeli Generals embracing one another and exchanging gifts as world leaders, including Bill Clinton looked on. And after the Oslo agreement of1993 there seemed a real chance of peace between the Israelis and Palestinians.
That was then. We are now back to the bad old days of bitter unrelenting conflict which is in danger of getting out of hand. A ceasefire? I doubt it as long as both Israel and Hizbullah believe they can deal each other mortal blows. If Israel does not get her way might she not turn on Syria and Iran as the sponsors of ‘terrorism’? And might she not do it with the tacit, at least, approval of Washington in hot pursuit of the remaining elements of the Axis of Evil.? And in Gaza the violence continues, Palestinians die, as the international community’s attention is diverted by the destruction of Lebanon.
What to do about it? Very little is practicable for the moment. Only the US has the leverage to rein in Israel and does not seem in the mood to do so if the main Israeli target remains ‘the terrorists’ of Hizbullah and a certain amount of collateral damage in Tyre, Sidon and Beirut is ’regrettable’ but ‘acceptable’ Innocent victims of the War on Terror. As for the Palestinians they feel they have little to lose in a one sided relationship with the ancient enemy. Their leadership is weak and divided and cannot bring their people to the negotiating table.
The British role. We are discredited throughout the Arab world because of our perceived lap dog relationship with Washington. All we can do is to yap at American heels-at best irritating, rarely influencing. We are getting good at that
Honorary Fellow University of Edinburgh. Formerly Ambassador to Kuwait and Jordan
Any one interested can rush out and get the SH before it is recycled and look on pages 41 and 43.
Comments:
Arafat and Rabin did. But neither side has the leadership capable of leading angry and frightened people towards peace.
Enough? Years ago.
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Enough? Years ago.
