Zionists would be only too happy for Palestinians in Gaza to move to Sinai, writes Amin Howeidi* The recent incident on our borders with Gaza is food for thought. Israel has been strangulating Gaza and starving its inhabitants in an act that is punishable by international law. Yet Arab and foreign countries, as well as most world organisations, are turning a blind eye. Israel is getting away with murder, and yet the Arabs are not acting. Have we forgotten that politics is a contest of power? Have we forgotten that you cannot get anywhere in politics until you throw your weight around a bit? The Palestinians used bulldozers to overrun the border barriers at Rafah. In at least one instance, they flew the Palestinian flag over an Egyptian government building -- an obvious violation of Egyptian national security. Instead of heading east to the Israeli barriers that imprison them, they turned south to Egypt's borders that protect them. Egyptian leaders, unable to bear the thought of our Palestinian brethren starving, ordered the borders opened. Nonetheless, Cairo took every possible measure to safeguard our national security and prudently prevented all attacks on Egyptian land, regardless of its source. Let's not forget that the crisis in Rafah is political at heart, although it took a humanitarian shape. Israel is the main player behind the scenes, even if TV images suggest otherwise. Israel is using starvation and intimidation to push the Palestinians into Sinai. This reminds me of what Zionist gangs did in Deir Yassin on 9 April 1948, only days before the 1948 war broke out. In his book, The Revolt, Menachem Begin said the atrocities committed in that town and elsewhere forced nearly 600,000 Arabs out of their homes. It seems to me that Olmert wants to repeat in the 21st century what the Haganah and Irgun did decades ago. This is why the Palestinians must stay in Gaza. They mustn't run away. Herzl once called on world Jewry to immigrate to a land without a people. Now the Israelis want to get the remaining Palestinians out. With the land remaining the same and the population growing, a crisis is brewing. The Israelis may be escalating their brutality, but the Palestinians have no other way but to stay put. Stay in Gaza, don't leave, that's my advice to the Palestinians. Looking beyond the borders will get the Palestinians nowhere. They've tried it once in the past, and look what happened. Nonetheless, the Arabs are duty-bound to support the Palestinians by action, not just words. As for Egypt, it has to reconsider the 2005 border arrangements in an open-minded way, for we cannot afford further trouble on our borders. We also need to keep a close watch on property laws and regulations in Sinai. We need to know who's selling what and to whom. The recent incidents in Sinai were eye- openers. Let's stay on top of the situation. * The writer is former defence minister and chief of General Intelligence.
