Israel firmly believes it can get away with anything. Emad Gad examines the consequences There is a strong belief in the Arab world that one of the biggest obstacles to reaching a political settlement to the Arab- Israeli conflict that would give the Palestinian people their legitimate rights and allow them to establish an independent state is the United States' absolute bias towards Israel. There are those who believe that the absence of a political settlement, and thus the absence of stability in the Middle East, is attributable to America's persistence in providing international legal and political protection to Israel. The US has always used its right of veto in the Security Council to block any resolution condemning Israel or demanding that it end violations or calling on it to desist from changing facts on the ground. And Arabs know very well that even if any compromise resolutions are issued by the Security Council, they will remain mere ink on paper and will not be implemented. Often, such resolutions are accompanied by a call to examine practical solutions through negotiations, to take "facts" into consideration, as is the case when US President George Bush made certain guarantees to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. That affirmed a very dangerous principle: the possibility of acquiring territory by force, which stands in complete contravention to UN principles and international law. This situation has made the Israeli government believe that Israel is above international law, immune to any accountability to the international community. In turn, this conviction has produced Israeli policies that often contravene international law. It has gotten to the point that Israel can threaten neighbouring countries with military invasions, freely pursue policies based on unrestrained force, and fully believe it is an exception to international law. The problem is exacerbated when the country exempted from international law is also a traditional occupying power. This means that occupation forces can commit violations that may even reach the level of war crimes without fearing international accountability. Thus, the obligation to observe treaties and charters regulating the behaviour of soldiers in wartime, whether towards civilians or other soldiers, become meaningless. It is clear that the actions of Israeli occupation forces against Palestinians constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity, but Israel has not been held responsible or brought to account. This situation is cause for chagrin among international human rights and humanitarian aid organisations which have been involved in several confrontations with Israeli officials. Similarly, the European and American media have observed and recorded violations of Palestinian rights by Israeli occupation soldiers. One of the more recent manifestations of this observation appeared in the Austrian Kleine Zeitung which published a cartoon on 20 May comparing the behaviour of Israeli soldiers to Nazi soldiers. The Israeli website (www.nfc.co.il) published a story about the cartoon, which was soon followed by readers who wrote in, cursing Austria and in fact all of Europe. One reader wrote that Austria was the birthplace of Nazism, followed by Germany. "I remind you that Hitler is one of your compatriots," wrote another. A third respondent wrote, "We just shouldn't go there as tourists. We shouldn't pass through that damn country." "What has Austria contributed to the world? A wretched nation of no importance," another reader chimed in. Another wrote, "How ironic that the Nazi Austrians would write such things about us. This is like Hitler asking Sharon if he has any morals! How great is Europe's stupidity." In fact, the sense of immunity from international accountability seems to account for the behaviour of Israeli occupation forces who continue to commit cold-blooded murder and crimes against humanity which, were they perpetrated by any other nation or in any other place, would immediately engender the formation of an international war crimes tribunal and the arrest of civilian and military leaders. The contempt Israeli occupation forces have for human life does not stop at the Palestinians but extends to those who are sympathetic to their plight or work to provide purely humanitarian assistance, including American and European citizens, as is the case with the murder of activists with the International Solidarity Movement such as Rachel Corrie and Tom Hurndall. This contempt has reached such proportions that Israeli occupation soldiers have threatened the lives of official figures on official missions. On 18 June Israeli soldiers opened direct fire on British parliamentarians. The MPs reported that soldiers opened fire on them in a military location in Rafah while they were conducting a visit to the site with a UN team. No-one was injured in the incident but some of the MPs reported hearing bullets zip over their heads. According to the parliamentarians, they quickly returned to their vehicle after they were shot at. Although the car was clearly marked as a United Nations vehicle, the shooting continued near a building close to the car. Commenting on the incident, the Israeli army said it had not received a formal complaint. It added that the circumstances surrounding the event, if it actually happened, are not clear. A spokesman for the Israeli army later stated that the matter was under review and that the army was aware of the claims. Israeli army sources said the trip to Rafah was not first cleared with the army. "It is regrettable that the visit was not coordinated in advance with us," said sources in the Israeli Foreign Ministry. "The matter is being examined." Baroness Lindsey Northover, an MP with the Liberal Democratic Party, said the shooting came from the direction where Israeli soldiers were. The group also included Huw Irranca- Davies (Labour) and Crispin Blunt (Conservatives). The three MPs, who were conducting a visit to the site where Briton Hurndall was shot over a year ago, asked the Israeli ambassador to Britain to clarify the incident. To follow the details of the case, visit Arabs Against Discrimination (www.aad-online.org).
