This is the superpower way of handling things in the jungle world of today; launching attacks against a sovereign impoverished member of the international community, a country which only according to the alphabetical order is classified first and comes last if not the least in every thing. The Nvy EA-6B electronic warfare aircraft and E2-C Hawkeye early warning radar planes, B-1 Lancers, B-2s and B-52 long ranger bombers and Tomahawk are targeting selected bases in Afghanistan including a UN Demining Office! Civilians are shelled in Afghanistan! Osama Bin Laden is wanted “dead or alive”; let it be so; many disagree with his evil and terrorist practices and with his nonsense statements, including the last one aired by Al-Jazeera Satellite Channel. He elected of himself the guardian of Moslems, whose religion preaches love, forgiveness and goodness, and spokesman of many people, most of who do condemn the outdated out –of- time and out- of- place statements, and many of them, like the Afghani, are in dire need for food medicine and for security if not for international protection as not to be perished by the ongoing Israeli blitz and unjust sanctions, which only starve the people. The UN Charter guarantees for each nation protection; once the people of the world decided to “refrain from the use of force” … and to live “in peace and coexistence” together. Some countries consider themselves aliens from another planet! The strongest has a moral obligation as to respect and help the weakest.

In shelling the poorest by the most rich countries in world, the US and Britain turn blind eyes and deaf ears to the source, mastermind and root of international terrorism practiced with all its forms by Israel since the usurpation of Palestine. “It was Israel which started the hijacking of civilian aircrafts, which introduced terrorism into the Middle East, and which expelled hundreds of thousands of Palestinians and other Arabs from their HOME,” Balfour gave the declaration, the US made a garrison state of Israel armed to teeth with means of killing and destruction! Britain and the US turn their back now to the suffering of millions in the region whether inside the occupied territories or in Diaspora. What the millions want is a reconsideration of the past mistakes committed against peaceful people not another show down to displace further millions. It is terrorism to uproot people from their HOMEland. It is terrorism to kill the children, elderly and women of the Intifada. One form of terrorism is to kill innocent civilians arbitrarily with no specific reason whatsoever. Thus, the recent attacks of Sep. 11^th against the US landmarks are a form of terrorism by all estimations, which was condemned in the strongest forms by almost every country of the world. I can never forget my small 10-year old child’s tears that day for the victims of New York Tower; she did shed bitter tears similar to those shed by her for Mohammad Al-Dura, and for Iman Hajo. The perpetrators of these actions are indeed terrorists. They killed the innocents for no reason in violation of all heavenly teachings, moral and human principles. I am afraid the same is being committed by superpowers against Afghani civilians in a bid to eliminate a dozen of gangsters. It is the cancerous cell to be removed not the people of a nation, whose main preoccupation is to earn their daily living. To ‘ smoke out’ and ‘ hunt down’ the perpetrators is an international desire for the majority who showed collective sympathy with the Americans; such a sympathy has to be addressed carefully, wisely and humanly by the USA under the auspices of the UN legitimacy.

Actually, the ongoing onslaught “ Enduring Freedom” is never so if Israel remains free to kill the people of the region under different pretexts. Such pretexts are not valid, however, once it commits itself to the option of just and comprehensive peace on the related internationally recognized bases. “Enduring Freedom” is never so as long as the oppressed are threatened by the oppressor. What a freedom is this when the people of the occupied Palestinian territories are being slaughtered in hundreds and prohibited even to move from a place to another? Is it an enduring freedom to starve the civilians of Iraq? Is it so to threaten freedom fighters not to answer back once they are hit by the occupiers? The US says that it pertains her right to consider the ongoing strikes as ‘ self-defense” because it was hit. What about the oppressed, whose land was occupied and who are around the clock being hit and slaughtered? Do they have to lick the blood of their beloved and kiss the hands of the Israeli soldiers? Actually, the people of our region want only just and comprehensive peace with a real even-handed sponsorship by the US and by all peace-loving countries. Violence breeds violence; just and comprehensive peace breeds love, amity and coexistence. This is crystal clear in our daily acts and deeds; for example, President Bashar Assad, on every occasion speaks of the importance of the realization of such a peace. In all his speeches, he speaks of this peace and reiterates Syria’s commitment to just peace as the strategic option. So far we haven’t heard a single word of peace from the other side! In fact, the Israeli rulers miss every opportunity given by the late president, Hafez Assad, for the realization of just and comprehensive peace in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions not with that of the Israeli-tailored concept of deformed peace.

‘Enduring Freedom’ entails the return of the Israeli-occupied territories to the lines of June4 1967, the settlement of the refugees issue, releasing of the hundreds of prisoners, A freedom to endure has to be a just one and pertains by all, by every member of the civilized world. The term ‘ enduring freedom’ has to be very well explained as not to be misinterpreted and exploited by some of whom is Israel. Israel has escalated its draconian aggressions against Palestinians since Sept 11^th tragic terrorist attack! and has spared no efforts to mix cards and point to freedom fighters, who don’t occupy others, as terrorists. It succeeds in pressuring the US to enlist those who fight in defense of their land in the US list! It failed, however, to stop the sun of truth to prevail when the international community almost unanimously voted for Syria’s non-permanent membership to the UN Security Council in a show of solidarity with Syria’s just demands and with her strenuous work for the realization of peace and security for all. Israel tailors every term to its size; acts of self-defense and resistance, which all people of the world did, are considered another terminology! Its massacres and brutal aggressions are considered a totally different terminology! If the US dances to the tune of Israel, as Sharon claims, the world community doesn’t.

‘Enduring Freedom’ never means to drop a piece of bread sandwiched with a bomb. It is never to make innocent civilians pay the price while the perpetrators are safe when the US and the world at large failed within the frame of the UN to rid the world of terrorism perpetrators. Such a freedom is never enduring without the convocation of an international conference as to define and combat terrorism and as to draw clear cut distinction between this ugly and evil phenomenon and the right to self defense and resistance. This right has been practiced by the Americans, French, British and by Arabs. As the late president, Hafez Assad said “ There is a very big difference between terrorism and fighting for freedom,” The people of the region are fed up with tension and killing; they do aspire to live in peace and tranquility. The key for this peace is an Israeli sincere preparedness to implement the related international legitimacy resolutions in letter and in spirit.

If Bin Laden is the perpetrator of the recent terrorist attacks against humanity, he is very similar to the perpetrators of Sabra and Shatila, Qana, Deir Yassin and other heinous crimes committed by Israel against the innocent. A lawsuit is being filed against Sharon in Belgium; and another one against Bin Laden in every civilized place of today’s sans frontier world. All the victims are the same of the innocent but are the perpetrators the same in the eye of President Bush’s “Enduring Freedom”? It is the realization of just peace which can put an end to the cycle of terrorism and tension in this region.; it is the Israeli accession to Non-Proliferation Treaty and the cleaning of the region from mass destruction means of killing. The very region which always dreams of and is eager for peace, tranquility and security for all. ‘ Enduring Freedom’ should not neither be guided by the Israeli concept of terrorism nor by some intentions as to topple others, have another Grenada and spread hegemony over a rich surrounding. Such a freedom has to be through an international consensus within the framework of the long awaited and urged for international conference.

If part of the international momentum and support for the US ‘ Enduring Freedom’ had been given to the realization of just and comprehensive peace in the region, the region would have enjoyed stability away from threats and away from terrorism instigators. The international community, and in particular the US, Russia, EU, UN, are called upon and urged as to nudge the push the in-coma Mideast peace process forward. They are called upon to call the spade a spade and compel Israel to refrain from its anti-peace practices, renounce terrorism and give a chance for an enduring peace so that a glimmer of hope for the generations to come would sparkle at the end of today’s dark tunnel. Many countries are neither with terrorism nor with arbitrary attacks against civilians; they stand by and support the international legitimacy and only such a legitimacy to endure.

BY

Mohammad Abdo Al-Ibrahim

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