By Ramzi E. Khoury
The United States, in its capacity as sponsor of the Peace Process as well as owner of the American English Language, may be able to play a positive role in the peace process after all, for the benefit of Israel, of course.
Before he becomes unemployed in a few weeks, US President Bill Clinton ought to explain to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak that the target of Oslo, Madrid and the countless meetings between the two sides was and remains peace, not a piece more of this, a bigger piece of that.
Barak ought to have learned from history that using force against the Palestinians will not break down the spirit of the ardent nation seeking the most basic of human rights: freedom from occupation and apartheid. Clinton could help his strategic ally by explaining that the Palestinian side of negotiations is the leadership of the nation that Israel will be living with in its borders in the future, like it or not, not a side of beef to be grilled every now and then and consumed with the tasty wine of the Golan Heights. Sooner or later, even that wine will need to be imported from Syria if Israelis want to continue drinking it or that piece of land will stand in the way of peace.
The soldier in civilian clothes kept on calling for a unity government with opposition leader Ariel Sharon in order to stand united in the face of those whom he should appease not bring down to their knees.
A desperate nation with no hope is a cornered cat turned vicious lion in defense of its life and liberty, and Barak can only thank himself for getting the cat cornered and getting his country scratched in the face. He is now poking the cat with his pointer and pressing its nose down with his thumb, thinking the lion cannot bite his hand off. Wrong, the Palestinians have everything to gain: their land, their freedom, their self-determination, and their right not to be murdered in cold blood. Because they have nothing, they can gamble it all and lose nothing. Inflicting pain on a society drugged by Zionism, a dead racist ideology, is a piece of cake; Israel will never get peace of mind without giving up the stolen pieces of land.
The confused general who seems to think that a peacemaker is the American pistol cowboys use in Hollywood movies, is trying to prove he is smart and as strong as a mule at the same time. The fact that he doesn’t understand that by recycling his offer (the same old offer that allows the Palestinians to grab the chance at giving up their legitimate rights forever) over and over again with no avail brings credibility to the mule factor as an animal that doesn’t give up. However, as stubborn as he is in fueling Palestinian rage by shooting to kill kids demanding their freedom on a daily basis and ensuring that the flow of funeral processions is not hindered, makes him a closer breed to the ass than the mule.
This ass has managed to keep himself stuck in the middle of the road, keeping traffic blocked when he needs to get home himself as soon as possible. Barak is a smart-ass who thinks he can convince the Palestinians to give up justice in order to avert death, but it is not working with his victims, or with his people who lost faith in him as the messiah who had promised peace and the Promised Land in one package.
His people are now feeling victimized themselves, but then they have always felt that way by the mere fact that they, out of all people on earth, ‘have’ to kill children for ‘security purposes’ and an Eretz Israel erected before the Messiah’s arrival. What if the Messiah arrives and the Palestinians refuse to give up the Aqsa to re-erect the Temple Mount? Why wait for the arrival of God’s messenger, Barak is facing that problem now.
But then murder is not very popular anymore and it is affecting the economy. The murdered are resurrected every day and are attacking back. Barak needs to do much more before he can be re-elected prime minister by mid-next year: he needs to perform a real miracle fit for a real Messiah by achieving true peace, security and a cool life style without giving up what Israel stole during the time of war. It is a miracle indeed if he achieves anything else than sticking his nose further in what he committed while stuck in the middle of the road, blocking traffic and claiming he needs to get home as soon as possible.
Clinton’s problem, like a typical Democrat, is that he has been trying to convince the traffic to get itself unblocked instead of pulling the ass off the road and risk being seen mistreating the animal his party uses as a symbol.
But now, since he needn’t worry about tarnishing his image, he could still help his old pal Barak by addressing the Israeli people directly, in the name of donkeydom, a type of wisdom Barak has humiliated with stupid actions.
Clinton, an ardent donkey in his own right, could tell them, as a member of the animal family, the truth. He could say: look at where we are in regards to Israel’s valued security and peace. Arrogance and greed is getting us nowhere. The whole piece-by-piece peace concept is going “you-know-where.” Choose what you want, truth or dare? I dare you to give up what you stole, it is only fair, and the whole wide world is behind the Palestinians.
A simple lullaby that rhymes could go a long way with a crying, spoiled brat. If Clinton wants to make a difference before he is out of office, he should stuff the pacifier in Barak’s mouth and sing Zionism to sleep. Most ex-presidents are vocal supporters of Palestinian rights and Clinton can be different by starting early. But if that’s too much to do with what little time he has left, then he can make history by kicking the ass in the ass. It won’t solve the Palestinian problem, but it will surely set precedence, and Clinton just loves doing that.
© 2000 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
