Moussa says this is message to those unfriendly to Arabs CAIRO: The Arab League has decided to lift the financial blockade on Palestine in response to the US veto of a UN Security Council draft resolution condemning the Israeli attack on the Gaza town of Beit Hanun last Wednesday. "Our message is loud and clear to those who take unfriendly positions against Arabs, AP quoted the Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa as saying, denoting that this was a message to the United States. Also according to AP, Bahrain Foreign Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al-Khalifa said, There will no longer be an international siege. Kuwait has pledged $30 million and Secretary General of the Palestinian Cabinet Muhammed Awad stated that he is expecting around $52 million ready to be immediately transferred according to AP. An Arab-sponsored draft resolution in the UN Security Council that condemned Israel's attack on the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanun was vetoed on Saturday by the United States, which described the text of the draft resolution as unbalanced and "biased. The draft resolution condemned the Israeli artillery strike on the Palestinian town Wednesday that killed 19, mostly women and children. It also condemned Palestinian rocket attacks on the Jewish state. The US veto of the United Nations resolution condemning Israel's raid on the Gaza Strip is incomprehensible and will only fan the flames of anger in the Middle East, said Moussa Sunday. Moussa told reporters that the US veto "sends a message that causes us great sorrow and anger. The message was well received, and it tells us that the peace process is completely dead. The US veto was expected according to Dr Waleed Kazziha, political science professor at the American University in Cairo, who told The Daily Star Egypt that "it's no surprise that the US vetoed the resolution. The Security Council members voted with ten states supporting the implementation of the resolution, four abstentions and the US veto. Arab foreign ministers met yesterday in the Arab League headquarters in Cairo to discuss the situation in the Palestinian territories, but Kazziha believes they will not make a definitive statement just yet. "The Arab stance will not (comprise) a direct and practical face off against the United States. It will be the usual criticisms and fancy words, Kazziha told The Daily Star Egypt. The reasons for this temperance are two fold according to Kazziha. "Firstly, it is due to the close ties many Arab nations have with the United States, especially countries that hold a lot of sway within the Arab League. The second reason is that the Arab states are waiting to see what changes will occur in US foreign policy after the Democratic victory in both the House and Senate, Kazziha said. He commented to The Daily Star Egypt, "The United States is reshaping its foreign policy, shifting from unilateralism to multilateralism, and the Arabs want a role in the new regional paradigm. "Therefore, Kazziha added, "the Arab position will be dependent on the US foreign policy shift to come and the stand they take today will take this into account. The situation will remain unresolved until the US direction becomes clearer. Kazziha said the US foreign policy shift is due to the fact that, "Unilateralism died in the mire of Iraq. The US must deal with other countries now; they want to get out of Iraq without losing face.
