Abaphathi bakaBush, bemagange ukudala ifa ngaphandle kwengxabano engapheli yempi yase-Iraq, balungiselela ukusingatha umhlangano wokuthula wePalestine-Israel ngenyanga ezayo eWashington.
Kepha intshisekelo yabaphathi bakaBush ekuthuleni eMiddle East kube ukusho okuncane okusivivi. Izoza emhlanganweni nezinkinga ezinkulu zokwethembeka ezikhubaza isimangalo sayo sokusebenza njengomthengisi othembekile
UBush wenqaba ukuhlangana noMongameli wasePalestine ongasekho u-Yasser Arafat futhi wasekela isimangalo esizimele sakwa-Israel sokuthi ama-Israel awakwazanga ukuthola umlingani obalulekile wasePalestine ukuze kube nokuthula.
Ngaphezu kwalokho, uBush wephula inqubomgomo yendabuko yaseMelika yangaphandle futhi wamukela ukwakhiwa kwezindawo zokuhlala ezintsha zakwa-Israel (NYT Agasti 21, 04), ngaleyo ndlela ebukela phansi umgwaqo, uhlelo lokuthula olwamukelwa yi-quartet: i-US, iRussia, i-European Union kanye ne-UN.
Okubi nakakhulu, abaphathi bakaBush bagunyaze ngokusobala futhi bahlinzeka ngempi yakwa-Israyeli eLebanon ngonyaka odlule. IWashington yaphuma endleleni yayo ukuvimba ukwamukelwa kusenesikhathi kwesinqumo sokuvala umlilo eMkhandlwini Wezokuphepha we-UN ukunikeza ama-Israyeli isikhathi esengeziwe sokufeza izinhloso zawo zempi ngokumelene nokumelana okunzima okungalindelekile kwe-Hizbollah.
Ukuphatha kukaBush okusolakala ukuthi ukukhathazeka ngabantu basePalestine kubuye kubhekwe ukusebenzelana okuvulekile kweWashington ne-Israel ukuhlukanisa nokubukela phansi uhulumeni weHamas owakhethwa ngentando yeningi ngabantu basePalestine.
Izijeziso ezibekwe nguBush zidale ubunzima obungachazeki kubantu basePalestine futhi zabhebhethekisa ukungezwani phakathi kwezikhulu ezikhethiwe okuholele ekutheni iHamas ithathe iGaza. Kuphinde kwanciphisa isimangalo sikahulumeni ka-Abbas sokumela abantu basePalestine ngokusemthethweni.
Kukhona nezinye izinkinga zokwethembeka. Izingxoxo okuwukuphela kwazo phakathi kwama-Israel namaPalestine ezingase ziholele ekuthuleni okuhlala njalo yilezo ezisekelwe emthethweni nobulungiswa, hhayi ekulinganiseni ukungalingani okukhulu kwamandla phakathi kwamaqembu amabili. Ngokusobala amaPalestine afuna labo bangaphambili, abakwa-Israel, besekelwa yiWashington, bagcizelele kulokhu kwakamuva njengesisekelo sezingxoxo.
Ngenxa yokwencika okukhulu kwezempi, ezezimali kanye nezobunxusa kuka-Israyeli kumlingani wakhe waseMelika, i-USA ukuphela kwezwe elingasebenzisa amandla phezu kwama-Israel. IWashington kuphela engaqeda ukuhlasela kwe-Israel ezindaweni zasePalestine futhi ilethe isilinganiso esithile sobulungiswa ekuxazululeni izingxabano zasePalestine. Lokhu, abaphathi bakaBush bayenqaba ukukwenza. Isisekelo sengqungquthela yayo ehleliwe kuyacaca ukuthi ibhalansi yamandla phakathi kwamaqembu.
UNobhala Wezwe laseMelika uCondoleezza Rice wakwenza kwacaca lokhu ngokusho kaningi ukuthi ufuna amaqembu avumelane ngezimiso ezifanayo ‘zomkhathi wezombangazwe.’
Futhi lezi zimiso ezivamile zomkhathizwe wezombangazwe zingafinyelelwa kanjani? Ngezingxoxo zamazwe amabili phakathi kwamaqembu, ngoba, u-Rice uthe: "Phela, ithrekhi yamazwe amabili kufanele ibe yisizinda sanoma yisiphi isisombululo sengxabano yasePalestina-Israel." (NYT, Sep 21. 07). Ngamanye amazwi, ibhalansi yamandla phakathi kwamaqembu, hhayi izingqungquthela zezizwe eziningi ezisekelwe ezinqumweni ze-UN, yiyona ezonquma umphumela.
Ukuthatha ngokuthi abaholi bakwa-Israel bafuna ukuthula ngokweqiniso-futhi lokhu kuwumbono omkhulu- umbono wabo wokuthula awusekelwe ebulungiswa kubantu basePalestine kodwa ekuvikelekeni kwebhizinisi labo lobukoloni. Lokhu kungomqondo wokuthi abafuni ukumelana nezinhlelo zabo zokuqhubeka nokuqhutshwa kwekoloni ezweni lasePalestine, ukuphepha kwabahlali bakhona, kanye nobugovu obungaphikiswanga ePalestine nasesifundeni.
Kodwa uhulumeni kaMahmoud Abbas awukwazi ukuvumelana nanoma yikuphi ukuthula okuhlanganisa lezi zinhloso. Futhi ayikwazi ukuzuza ukuthula okungahlangani nale migomo. Ibuthakathaka kakhulu, ayimeli kakhulu, futhi isivele inikeze ama-Israyeli konke engayinikeza. Ama-Israyeli ayakwazi, futhi asebenzisa lobo buthakathaka. UNgqongqoshe Wezokuvikela wakwa-Israel u-Ehud Barak usanda kuveza ukuthi naphezu kokuthakazelelwa kwakhe, u-Abbas wayengeke akwazi ukusebenzisa isivumelwano ( Haaretz, Sep 21.07), ekhohlwa kalula indima u-Israyeli ayidlalile ekwenzeni u-Abbas abe buthaka.
Uma ingekho ingcindezi yaseMelika, uRice athi iWashington ngeke iyenze, yiziphi izikhuthazo ama-Israyeli anazo zokunikeza amaPalestine umbuso, inhloko-dolobha yaseJerusalema, kanye nesixazululo esinobulungiswa kubabaleki basePalestine?
Umusa wakwa-Israel kuphela ongalungisa ukungalingani kwezinhlangothi. Kepha umusa akubanga yisici esihlukanisayo senqubomgomo yakwa-Israel maqondana namaPalestine.
Ekuqaleni kwalonyaka, unobhala okhethekile we-UN wamalungelo abantu ezindaweni zasePalestine, uJohn Dugard, wachaza izindawo ezivaliwe, ukubhidlizwa kwezindlu, imigwaqo ehlala amaJuda kuphela, futhi wabuza ngokungananazi: “Kungephikwa ngempela yini ukuthi injongo yesenzo esinjalo ukumisa nokulondoloza ukubusa kweqembu elithile lohlanga (amaJuda) phezu kolunye uhlanga (amaPalestine) futhi libacindezele ngendlela ehlelekile?”
Umbiko weBhange Lomhlaba ngoSepthemba ubhale phansi ukuthi izinqubomgomo zakwa-Israel zokuvalwa nokuvimbezela zishiye abantu basePalestine bempofu kakhulu futhi bencike osizweni.
Ngaphandle kokudikibala, ama-Israel ayaqhubeka nokujezisa izakhamizi zasePalestine. NgoSepthemba 19, iKhabhinethi yakwa-Israeli yanquma ukunciphisa ugesi nophethiloli eGaza futhi iphinde ibeke imingcele yokungena nokuphuma eGaza. Izinhlangano eziyisikhombisa zamalungelo abantu zakwa-Israel ngokuhlanganyela zigxeke lezi unswinyo “njengokwephulwa okukhulu komgomo ophambili womthetho wobuntu wamazwe ngamazwe.” (B’Tselem, Sep 20.07)
Ngokwesifunda, nangendlela eyisici, abaholi bakwa-Israyeli basabela ekusongelweni kokuthula, okwenziwa kubonakale ngokuphindaphindiwe kweSiriya, ngokuqhumisa amabhomu eSiriya. Ngokusebenzisana kweWashington, ukuqhuma kwamabhomu kwalandelwa yizinsolo zokuthi iSyria yakha izikhali zokucekela phansi okukhulu.
Abaholi bama-Arab sebekhathele ukuya engqungqutheleni ezobukeka isemthethweni indlela ye-American-Israel yokuletha ukuthula. Kodwa futhi bakuqaphela ngokujulile ukungabi nakuzisiza kwenkinga yabo. Lokhu kwafanekiswa kahle ngesikhathi uNgqongqoshe Wezangaphandle WaseSaudi Arabia uPrince Saud ecela u-Israyeli ukuthi amise imisebenzi yokuxazululwa kwezindlu kanye nokwakhiwa kodonga, “njengesenzo senhliziyo enhle” kuma-Arabs. (NYT.Sep 27.07).
UProf. Adel Safty ungumbhali wencwadi ethi From Camp David to the Gulf, Montreal, New York. Incwadi yakhe yakamuva ethi, Leadership and Democracy ishicilelwe ngabakwa-IPSL Press, eNew York. 2004.
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Nikela