20.01.2009
January 16, 20009 (the date of publication in Russian)
Alexei Chichkin
EGOISM OR INDIFFERENCE?
Arab countries think about their own interests, but not about the destiny of the Palestinian people
Only few remember that current campaign in the Gaza Strip began right before the 60th anniversary of end of the first war in Palestine. Hostilities between Arab countries and Israel finished on January 7, 1949. This was the time when the UN plans about creating an Arab Palestinian state, which would include the Gaza Strip, collapsed.
Thereupon we'll notice that the question of the borders separating Palestine with Arab and Jewish states was the primary factor, which stimulated Arab-Israeli wars for revision of the very borders. And we can't say for sure if this wasn't the "super-mission" of the British administration, which controlled the area till May of 1948. As the proposals from the British side became "catalysts" of Palestinian division into Arabic and Jewish states. So Arabic countries attacked Israel on May 14, 1948 in an attempt of changing these borders for their own benefits.
But did Arabian states themselves want to help Palestine in the creation of an independent state? Seems like they didn't, according to truce agreements, which were made with Israel by Egypt, Trans-Jordan, Syria and Lebanon and also to the agreements of Rhodes ("complex") truce between Arab countries and Israel on February-July of 1949. That was also notable in the Gaza area: its southern and southeastern parts – which made up almost 65% of the Strip – turned to be occupied by Israel, and Egypt got its Mediterranean or northern (capital) part. And there wasn't even a single hint about the creation of an Arab Palestinian state in the Egyptian region of the Gaza Strip either in documents or in the decisions of Egyptian government. Although, the whole Gaza was defined as an element of a Palestinian Arab state on November 27, 1947. In addition we'll emphasize, that the subjects of the mentioned agreements were Israeli state and some particular Arab states. Arab state in Palestine wasn't among them (as well as there were no representatives of it among the signers of the agreements mentioned).
Egyptian Arabs began settling in Egyptian region of Gaza Strip already in autumn of 1949, directly or indirectly "pushing" local Arabs away. It's noteworthy, that Nuri al-Said, Iraqi Prime Minister of that time (he participated in the war against Israel in 1948-1949 and was an old British agent), gave Bechara El Khoury, the President of Lebanon, an advice "to beware of a Palestinian Arab state, which can 'consume' Lebanon or at least influence it very much". And the correspondence between Nuri al-Said and Saud bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud, the King and the Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia of that time, said that "hardly could the creation of a Palestinian state be reasonable for Arab countries, as it could easily be 'tamed' by Israel and the USSR, and that way create a "back door" into the Arab World". The real interests of Arabic neighbours of Israel in Palestine didn't go in a line with the creation of an Arab state in Palestine".
A curious fact is that on October 1956 during the negotiations with Anthony Eden, the British Prime-Minister, Nuri al-Said called Brits "to strike Naser fast and powerfully", as "the nationalization of Suez Canal was only the first step of Egyptian-Soviet expansion". He said that "Cairo and Moscow would soon stand for the creation of an Arab state in Palestine more actively, but neither Egypt, nor its neighbours, and the more – nor Israel needed this state". He also expressed a warning, that the new the state could become another Soviet "key factor" or "lever" in the region. This attitude to the creation of a Palestinian Arabs state prevailed in most Arab countries.
What's also noteworthy: nowadays even the most radical Arab-Islamic states don't think about at least temporary limitation of the delivery of oil to the countries which sympathize Israel. By the way, this would push up world energy costs, which is also profitable for the very petroleum exporting countries. And of course this measure would make Israel stop genocide of Palestinian Arabs in Gaza for sure. But as it seems, the reprisal with Hamas is planned not only by Israel, but also by the majority of Arab-Islamic countries.
That way, the history repeats on our eyes. An obscure position, which the Arab World has taken today, perfectly repeats the scenario, which had already been realized in 1949.
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