topic by
John Calvin
5/4/2002 (17:02) |
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Ambassador Habib 'Sharon was a killer obsessed with hatred of Palestinians'
Ambassador Philip Habib was President Ronald Reagan's Special Middle East Envoy in 1982 and he gave a frightening estimation of Sharon's character that should be remembered when Colin Powell or any other US envoy is negotiating with him 'Sharon was a killer obsessed with hatred of Palestinians. I had promised Arafat that his people would not get any harm. Sharon, however, ignored this commitment entirely. Sharon's word is worth nil.'
The warnings were posted as long ago as March 2001 that Sharon had not changed his views on becoming Prime Minister, when on returning from talks with President Bush in Washington he made it clear that any proposed US plans to build a new Arab coalition to confront Iraq could not be achieved at Israel's expense. Sharon indicated his forces would continue to target Palestinian militants for killing, a policy that has come under fire from the US and that Israel might be prepared to be flexible, but not 'when it comes to the lives of Israeli citizens and their security.'
The appalling crimes committed against Israel and many Western countries by Arab terrorists over the years are rightly condemned and such terrorist groups must be destroyed. Israel as a profound friend of the West and the only liberal democracy in the Middle East deserves both respect and support, but its reputation has been severely tarnished by the actions of a violent and prejudiced leader. Israel's offensive against a largely defenceless Palestinian population has been rightly condemned by much of the international community and the IDF's actions in the Jenin refugee camp so reminiscent of a small scale version of the Nazi destruction of the Warsaw Ghetto has been castigated by human rights groups worldwide. Just how long a people with a tradition of both justice and compassion, and particularly with centuries of experience of prejudice and oppression can condone the rule of a man such as Sharon is questionable.
Marcus Cohen Israel-Intell and Richard M. Benne
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