ARMENIA MUST STAY NEUTRAL IN RELATION TO GAZA EVENTS
PanARMENIAN.Net
13.01.2009 GMT+04:00
Certainly, Israel should defend its citizens against rocket attacks and
suicide-bombers but it can defeat Hamas only through political means.
It so happened that we had to step into the year of 2009 with
another Palestinian-Israeli war. The operation "Cast Lead" launched
on 27 December 2008 has already taken about one thousand Palestinian
lives. It would be naпve to judge the war only from the viewpoint of
the coming elections in Israel or from the standpoint of the possible
threat to the Jewish Government from Iran. It can be said that military
operations in Gaza were predetermined the moment eviction of the Jews
began. If we also take into consideration the incessant bombardments by
the Hamas movement against the remaining Jewish settlements in Gaza,
it can be said for sure that neither the Israeli Prime-Minister,
whoever he might be, nor the Foreign Minister could change the
forthcoming events.
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Another question is how adequate Tsahal’s actions
are. It is possible that Israel hasn’t reached its goal, and hardly
can it reach it until the Palestinian Government stops relying on
Hamas. However, there is a delicate point here – Hamas is not a
totally terrorist grouping as is it considered by many people, but
a social-political movement that won the Palestinian elections in
2006. It proved to be a strong blow against Israel and a shock for
the Administration of US President George Bush. Ideological views of
the movement, no matter how distasteful this might be to Israel and to
the West, are shared by a considerable part of the Arabic population,
from Morocco to Iraq. As some observers believe, each day of the
conflict increases the political influence of Hamas, consolidates
its followers in other countries and its main sponsor Iran.
"Iran gives Hamas enthusiastic support but discreetly. It is trying
to position itself as the regional superpower, while also trying to
generate maximum leverage before expected talks with the incoming
Obama Administration. To achieve those goals, though, Iran needs Hamas
to declare at least a moral victory in its war with Israel. Then,
Israel and Washington’s Arab allies would be weakened, and without
Iran’s having to get involved in battle", The New York Times reports.
Iran’s position in the war is quite explicable like that of
Turkey’s. In spite of the Â"friendshipÂ" with Israel, Ankara spoke in
support of the Palestinians and many people were surprised at this open
demarche against Tel-Aviv. However, one needn’t be surprised. Turkey’s
move was quite predictable and pretty characteristic of Turkish foreign
policy that positions itself as the leader of Turkic world and as
the regional power. In this respect Turkey cannot simply support
the "Cast Lead". The other day the Arabic paper Al-hayat published
in London reported that Hamas leadership might agree on billeting
Turkish troops on the Sinai Peninsula. The suggestion was voiced by
Turkish Prime-Minister Erdogan who has lately visited Damascus and
talked with Head of Hamas Political Office Haled Mashal
Egypt is determined to contribute to the armistice too. However, Hamas
is sure that the Egyptian initiative has no chances, as Egypt suggests
cease-fire but does not promise withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza
Strip. According to the peace treaty signed in 1979 between Israel and
Egypt the territory of the Sinai Peninsula was to be a demilitarized
zone. The treaty was denounced by the Government of Ariel Sharon. But
under new conditions Egypt got a chance to billet huge military units
along the border of Gaza Strip under the pretence of struggling against
smuggling of weapon. In fact, however, the Egyptian army restrained
flows of refugees from Gaza Strip to the Sinai Peninsula.
Certainly, Israel should defend its citizens against rocket attacks
and suicide-bombers but it can defeat Hamas only through political
means. Palestinians, who do not traditionally have a passion for
religious fundamentalism, should be convinced of the necessity to
choose more moderate leaders, for instance from the secular Movement
"Fath". Otherwise they will have to make up with the existence
of Hamas.
Meanwhile, the world community has split into two rather clear-cut
parts: one supports Israel and, however strange it may seem, their
number is not so large; the other one is the Islamic population
of Europe and the USA, a well-organized union of people that
are excellent at arranging protest actions. If we also take
into account the Â"traditionalÂ" anti-Semitism, Israel simply
has no right to cease the military operations at least for its own
protection. That is why Israel is now getting ready for the third stage
of anti-terrorist operations in Gaza Strip. According to the data of
Israeli reconnaissance units, at least 300 activists of Hamas have
been killed in the operation. Majority of them were specialized in
producing rockets and bombarding the Israeli territory. The number of
Palestinians killed is over 850. The Israeli side has suffered losses
too. So far diplomatic attempts to resolve the conflict have produced
no result. Israel is determined to enlarge the battle-front in Gaza
Strip, despite the pressure of international community demanding
an immediate cease-fire in connection with the serious humanitarian
situation and death of peaceful population.
There is also the UN Resolution calling to an armistice. But like
all the UN resolutions, this one does not and cannot solve anything
either. Unfortunately the end to the Israeli-Palestinian war is not
yet in view. Neither the RF nor the USA can influence it, let alone the
EU that is trying to play its own game in the Near East. The position
of Europe is quite clear – most of the emigrants from Palestine and
generally from the Islamic Near East live in Western Europe.
As for the attitude of Armenia, in our opinion she must stay strictly
neutral at least because there is rather a large Armenian Diaspora
living there and in case of indiscreet moves by the Armenian Government
they will be the first to get the blow. We all still remember the
meeting between Armenian President Robert Kocharian and Leader of the
Palestine Liberation Organization Yasser Arafat in 2000, after which
the Jewish lobby began to oppose the Armenian one especially in the
issue of recognition of the Armenian Genocide.
According to Arthur Sasounian, publisher and editor of The California
Courier, infuriated at Turkey’s criticism on the war in Gaza, Israel
might recognize the Armenian Genocide. "There is little possibility
that Israel might change its recent position of denying the Armenian
Genocide, but the Jewish lobby in the USA may not meet Turkey’s
expectations on opposing the Congress resolutions on the Genocide. The
Jewish lobby used to serve as a means for blocking such resolutions,"
Sasounian writes.
Karine Ter-Sahakyan Â"PanARMENIAN.NetÂ" analytical department
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From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress