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Arafat and Sharon in the Deadly Playground

© Bryan Stuart Kay

As trouble brews ever fiercer in the Middle East, Ariel Sharon and Yasser Arafat both have claims to the ball, but still argue profusely whose it is, and who, for that matter, lost it.

Yasser Arafat finds himself a little boy all over again. Colin Powell was playing the mixed-up Auntie acting as mediator – being played, rather – by two brothers on opposite ends of the spoiled spectrum. In another life they may have been friends. In this one they are level-eyed enemies. I wouldn’t fancy a face to face skirmish, though: Yasser wouldn’t make it far past the borders of Ramallah before being hoodwinked by the gut of our old Ariel.

All jokes aside, the situation in Israel and the West Bank is dangerous - anything but a joke. It is rapidly desecrating. That is, it has gone way out of the proportions of “out of control”.

The point here is, how can it be salvaged. Well, for starters, certainly not by way of Sharon’s proposals of an Arab summit, excluding Arafat. Conversely, such a gathering, it has been stated, does not require his attendance. But do we really believe that cheap swipes like this are conducive to reconciliation and peace? Okay, reconciliation may be a little ambitious, but we need some direction. Which is more than can be said for Israel’s efforts.

The Israeli government’s child-like stance, whereby they refuse to leave what are effectively lifeless settlements until the terrorists are flushed out, is one effort no-one can relate to. Do they really believe it is possible to mount any kind of terrorist attack, however primitive, from such hellholes? It’s one thing getting your people to attach their life to a bomb destined for execution, let alone spend their last night sleeping next to what used to be their roof; what is now their mattress. Nonetheless, even if there are people who would, there are countless other places where terrorists could be planning attacks.

And from here the plot inspissates. What does this continued occupation produce? More motivation for suicide attacks. Maybe the attacks do still occur without this military action, but does it really make any difference, other than to give the Palestinians more fodder for their anger. Even here in the western world there is the odd twinge of sympathy for the Palestinian situation. Not to the extent of support for their extreme actions, more for their awful surroundings and current predicament. How can you not shed a tear when all you see on T.V. is a mangled wreck reminiscent of New York in September?

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