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U.S.
Says Israel Usually "Retaliating," Not Initiating Violence
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| Barghouti
dismisses US view on the Intifada as “biased” |
By
Ayesha Ahmad, IOL Washington Correspondent
WASHINGTON,
Jan. 25 (IslamOnline) - The U.S. view throughout the 15-month-old Palestinian
Intifada against Israeli occupation, has been that Israel is responding to
Palestinian attacks and is therefore not as responsible as Palestinians for
putting an end to the violence, a U.S. official said Wednesday.
"Our
basic view all along is that Israel is reacting and retaliating," a senior
State Department official told reporters Wednesday, explaining why the U.S. was
emphasizing the responsibility of Palestinian President Yasser Arafat to rein in
violence.
"The
onus is on Chairman Arafat because largely the Israelis have been
reacting," the official said on condition of anonymity.
Palestinian
officials reject this view entirely, saying that (hard-line) Israeli Prime
Minister, Ariel Sharon carries out provocative attacks designed to elicit
violent reactions from Palestinians, whom he can then blame.
"It's
Israeli tanks in Palestinian cities, not Palestinian tanks in Israeli
cities," said Dr. Mustafa Barghouti, president of the Union of Palestinian
Medical Relief Committees.
"[Their
view] is a total distortion of reality," Barghouti, whose cousin, Marwan
Barghouti, the leader of Arafat's Fatah movement in the West Bank, told
IslamOnline by telephone.
The
U.S. view of the initial steps necessary to work towards the Tenet and Mitchell
plans for resolving the violence is that Arafat must take certain steps, such as
arresting those responsible for acts of violence and explaining Palestinian
involvement in the recent arms shipment on the “Karine A” intercepted by
Israel, before any other steps can take place.
This
view has been promoted by the U.S. in no uncertain terms over the past several
weeks; repeatedly, the U.S. response to every turn of events in the Middle East
is that Arafat must do more to put an end to the violence.
"All
along, we've been concerned that his steps are not thorough enough," the
State Department official said.
In
response to questions about Israel's policy of assassinating Palestinian
political leaders, the official said, "If these people [victims of Israeli
"targeted killings”] are in jail, they can't be targeted."
The
State Department has repeatedly said that, "Israelis are well aware of [the
U.S.] position" on issues like incursions into Palestinian autonomous
territory, or on assassinations.
Barghouti,
however, said that such incursions are part of Sharon's policy.
He
gave the example of the recent ceasefire declared by Arafat on December 26.
"The
truth is that for three weeks after the declaration of the ceasefire,
Palestinians abstained from any kind of act and respected the so-called
ceasefire," he said, "and for three weeks Sharon kept attacking and
provoking."
Sharon
carried out 15 operations during that time, he said, including violent
incursions into Palestinian territories and ending with the assassination of
Fatah activist Raed Karmi on Monday, Jan. 14.
"Of
course, then the Palestinians had to react," he said, adding he did not
understand the logic that concluded Sharon was reacting with most of his
actions.
Regarding
the assassination policy, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said
Wednesday, "The Israelis are quite aware of our views… we've urged both
sides to consider the consequences of their actions."
"I
think both sides always have a responsibility to act wisely," he said,
speaking to reporters during a press briefing, "but yes, we put emphasis
where emphasis belongs."
Boucher
said that although the U.S. does tell Israel to "consider the
consequences" as well, its primary message has been to call on Arafat to
stop the violence, as "we don't consider there is any excuse for the kind
of terrorism" carried out by Palestinian groups.
U.S.
Secretary of State, Colin Powell spoke to Arafat by phone Wednesday morning,
Boucher said, about the "need for accountability over the Karine A" as
well as his responsibility in reining in violence. Boucher would not provide any
other information on the phone call.
"We
believe that as the leader of the Palestinian Authority, [Arafat] needs to
exercise authority," Boucher said. "We haven't seen the kind of…
efforts that we all know [are] necessary to stop the violence. We continue to
believe that there is more he can do to stop the violence."
The
U.S. has invested much over the past decade in the peace process, but some feel
that it cannot be a sincere peace broker as long as its policy tilts in favor of
Israel.
"The
U.S. is unable to be balanced because of its bias," Barghouti said,
"and because of the pressure of the Israeli lobby [in Washington]."
He
said that Washington's position in the peace process had to be "only in the
framework of a balanced international intervention."
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