Why raise the goalposts?

Jordan Times Editorial

American support for Israel is taken for granted in this region where nothing else has come to be expected from Washington. American politicians and officials, as well as learned commentators, Middle East "experts" and scholars never fail to raise loud guffaws, groans and anger when they talk about spreading the "American" values of freedom and democracy, when they invade Arab countries because those countries violate UN resolutions or when they seek UN legitimacy to support their various causes here.

Yet, American support for Israel is becoming of greater and greater concern, especially after the recent, apparently "tacit," US acceptance of huge settlement expansions in the occupied West Bank. Beyond the obvious immorality of aiding and abetting a decades-old land grab - theft, for those who have not yet cottoned on to what settlements are and are intended for - beyond the obvious insuperable obstacles overt American support for the Israeli settlement project will place in the way of ever-achieving a negotiated peace, the mind boggles at the apparent memory failure of US officials.

It was only in April, after all, that US policy regarding the settlements took one of the most disastrous turns possible, when President George W. Bush essentially legitimised settlement blocs by talking about "realities on the ground." It was later that same month that the US got its fingers burnt.

What had apparently been an attempt by the US to shore up support for Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's unilateral withdrawal plan from Gaza - itself a hugely problematic proposition - was thwarted by Sharon's own party, the Likud, who voted against his plan.

And now, American moral support to Sharon for settlement expansions in the West Bank has again failed to provide him with diplomatic cover for his unilateralism. The Likud last week rejected his attempts at forming a unity government with the Israeli Labour Party for the very reason of avoiding any withdrawal from Gaza. The rank and file of the Likud do not want to withdraw from any settlement and are not interested in the creation of a Palestinian state (another internal party defeat for Sharon).

The Israeli far right wants as much land with as few Palestinians as possible. In this they only differ from Sharon and Labour in a matter of degrees and percentages, and not principle. Nevertheless, the Israeli right is the most greedy and least amenable to reason. That is why US policy on settlements is proving so disastrous.

By not taking a clear stand in line with international law, which considers such settlements illegal, the US has allowed the goalposts to be raised out of the ground for them to be moved. If Washington has any official with any sense, it will, as soon as possible, fix those goalposts deep in the ground again, back where they belong. Otherwise, there is no end to the appetite of the Israeli right and no hope for any peace.

This article was published in the Tuesday, August 24, 2004 edition of the Jordan Times. It is used here with permission.