The British Parliamentary Committee (BPC) has demanded that the European Union (EU) should link its relations with Israel with efforts for establishment of peace in the Middle East. Even more significant is that the said committee has also called on the British Government to establish contact with HAMAS that controls the Gaza Strip. The committee is rightly of the opinion that without large-scale cooperation from the Palestinian organization HAMAAS, no durable peace is possible.
Israel's Conditions
The demand by the BPC has come at a time when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while reiterating his five conditions for restoration of peace in the region, maintains that the future Palestinian state would not be allowed to keep any arms and weapons.
However, Israeli Housing Minister Ariel Atias maintains that no country in the world has any right to force Israel not to allow its population to live in the Palestine territory. He has categorically asserted that the process of construction of the Jewish habitats would continue in occupied Baitul Muqaddas and the West Bank.
Israel's current aggressive attitude is no different from its earlier stand. In fact, it is this attitude that has spoilt peace in Middle East, and has created new issues by terming HAMAS's armed struggle terrorism. Statements made by Netanyahu and Ariel Atias are, in fact, a part of the conspiracy that aims at sabotaging peace efforts in the region. The conspirators are active even at a time when the rein of the US, Israel's master and mentor, is in the hands of Barack Obama, who is striving to improve US relations with the Islamic world, and who has already held Israel responsible for the inhuman conditions prevailing in the Gaza Strip.
Netanyahu-Obama Meeting
During his recent meeting with Netanyahu at the White House, Obama had categorically said that Israel must stop all construction work, particularly those of new Jewish hamlets in the occupied areas. Obama has exerted further pressure on Israel that it should recognize the two-nation theory, and allow the establishment of a Palestine state.
Yet, despite pressure from Obama, what the Israeli leadership is doing is no secret. Adding conditions to the establishment of a Palestine state and demanding that it should be prohibited from maintaining any kind of army tantamount to a slap on Palestinians' self-respect. Under such circumstances, talking about establishment of peace in the region is entirely meaningless.
That is why the BPC has demanded linking of relations with Israel to put efforts toward establishment of peace. Although the attitude and inclination of European countries and the US has usually been sympathetic, and that the Palestine issue continues to hang fire, is largely because of the patronage that Israel enjoys from the European countries and the US. Else a handful of Judaists could not dare to play with the dignity of the Arabs.
Significance of Plan
However, it is commendable that going by Israel's arrogance, the BPC has called on the European countries to link relations with Israel with efforts for establishment of peace. There are scant chances that it will have any impact on Israel until the US also adopts a hard attitude in this regard.
The other significant aspect is the BPC's attitude toward HAMAS. In fact, both the US and the EU have described the armed struggle by HAMAS as terrorism and have been delinking it from the peace efforts in the Middle East. Yet, the truth is that HAMAS continues to enjoy the majority support of the Palestinians and Mahmoud Abbas is taken to be a sympathizer of the Zionist forces.
In such a scenario, HAMAS's role in efforts for establishment of peace becomes more significant. By admitting it, the BPC has displayed its wisdom. The BPC is quite correct when it said that by refusing to talk to HAMAS, the UK is gaining nothing. The BPC has also termed the Israeli action in the Gaza Strip inappropriate.
Whatever stand the EU or the British Government may adopt on the demand, the report is evident that a tendency to criticize the Israeli aggression openly is developing in the UK, Europe, and the US.
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