By Meraj Abedin
Ariel Sharon has proved once again his sadistic lust for death and enmity towards peace.
Last Thursday, the Israeli leader authorized an air strike killing the military chief of the militant Hamas. The attack resulted in the slaughter of more than 15 civilians, nine of whom were children.
After receiving worldwide condemnation, Sharon began to backtrack, shifting blame on "misleading intelligence."
The attack occurred during the night on an apartment building in a densely populated Gaza city. One would assume an apartment is a place where civilians live and most civilians are asleep at night.
This sort of intelligence doesn’t require spy satellites or a Hebrew James Bond. The explanations of "misleading intelligence" by the Zionist spinsters are simply disingenuous and tiresome.
But there’s more to this story than meets the eye. It was not only women and children who were slaughtered in cold blood. The attack was a deliberate and intentional effort by Sharon to derail an impending breakthrough in cease-fire talks.
Javier Solana, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, said a major cease-fire agreement was within reach, which included a unilateral cease-fire by Hamas. Then, literally hours before an announcement by the militant group ending all suicide bombings, the attack came, completely destroying any chance of the armistice.
Once again, Sharon demonstrated his desire to perpetuate conflict and provoke attacks. This is one of many moves against peace.
Why would Sharon try to derail cease-fire efforts? A unilateral cease-fire by Hamas deprives him and his extremist allies the crucial propaganda tool terrorism provides allowing him to justify continued occupation and Gestapo-style brutality against the Palestinians.
Palestinian territories have almost been completely reoccupied by Israeli forces. Almost a million Palestinians live under military lock-down. Since the beginning of this uprising, there has been a tremendous surge in illegal settlement construction and an influx of fanatical Jewish settlers into the occupied territories.
Sharon has consistently shown that he is an enemy of peace, something that is widely recognized. Even Israeli foreign minister Shimon Peres, in response to a statement that "many Israelis doubt whether Ariel Sharon could be a partner for peace," told the German weekly Der Spiegel: "Me too. I have my doubts."
The American response to Sharon’s reckless air strike was the usual wimpy criticism accompanied by the reiteration of America’s unwavering and eternal loyalty to Israel. So, an Israeli government official can harshly criticize Sharon, but the Americans can’t. That tells you a lot about who really controls American foreign policy.
Alas, little seems to change when it comes to this cycle of violence, except of course the body count. I agree, both sides are responsible for inhumane assaults, and a massacre of innocents is illegitimate, whether it’s with an F-16 or a suicide bomb. But the fact remains; the Israelis are the powerful party and with power comes responsibility, and the bloody regime of Ariel Sharon has clearly shown no sense of responsibility in its most recent assault on civilians. Let’s hope for a "regime change" not only in Baghdad, but also in Tel Aviv.