[lit-ideas] A collective failure in the Middle East

http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/07/31/opinion/edebadi.php

A collective failure in the Middle East 
Shirin Ebadi and Jody Williams International Herald
Tribune 
MONDAY, JULY 31, 2006 
As recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize, we watch with
stunned disbelief as the fighting in Lebanon and
Israel spins out of control, while the humanitarian
crisis in Gaza apparently has slipped from public
consciousness. The lack of global leadership in the
face of this violence affecting hundreds of thousands
of civilians is appalling.

The failure of the Group of 8 in July to tackle
blatant breaches of international humanitarian law
demonstrates a crass unwillingness to put civilian
lives above politics. The repeated U.S. vetoes in the
UN Security Council, stopping efforts to resolve these
crises, are unfortunately predictable. The Bush
administration - backed by strong language in the U.S.
Congress supporting Israeli military operations - has
done nothing to mitigate the overwhelming impact on
the civilian population.

The July emergency meeting in Rome, two weeks into the
crisis, resulted in nothing tangible. Only the United
States, Britain and Israel oppose an immediate
cease-fire. With U.S. officials describing the
destruction and chaos as the inevitable "birth pangs
of a new Middle East," how can they expect anything
less than dramatically increased anti-Americanism
throughout the Middle East - if not the entire world?

Watching the wholesale destruction of much of Lebanon,
it is almost embarrassing to call the Israeli response
to the kidnapping of its three soldiers
"disproportionate." It is collective punishment of the
civilian populations of Gaza and Lebanon. It is
collective but personal as we read the sporadic
e-mails describing death and destruction that reach us
from women colleagues in Lebanon. It is collective but
personal as a graduate student at the University of
Houston keeps us informed about the impact on her
relatives in Gaza.

The deliberate destruction of civilian infrastructure,
including roads, bridges, apartment buildings, relief
trucks, ports and the airport has resulted in large
numbers of civilian casualties. It has prevented
civilians from evacuating conflict areas, and hindered
provision of humanitarian aid. Hundreds of thousands
of refugees - perhaps one out of every five people in
Lebanon - are attempting to flee in a country whose
exit points have been deliberately destroyed. Much of
Beirut has again been reduced to rubble. Hezbollah's
increasing attacks against civilian targets in Israel
are also heinous and violations of international law.

While we watch the violence being ratcheted up in
Lebanon and the north of Israel, the Gaza crisis
simmers. The Israeli occupation of Gaza may have
changed in form, but the reality is that it maintains
control over all aspects of life there. Israel's prime
minister, Ehud Olmert, has clearly stated that his
soldiers will "operate, enter and pull out as needed."
As Israeli attacks intensified in the north, its
forces also began distributing leaflets throughout
Gaza stating that it would begin bombing houses
suspected of being used as weapons caches. They had
already destroyed the only power station in Gaza,
leaving tens of thousands without water and sewage.

We do not understand how the international community
can continue to stand by while entire populations are
held hostage in what has been described as "self
defense."

No deliberate attacks against civilians by armed
groups should be condoned by the international
community, either explicitly or implicitly through
inaction. Every new attack leaves dead and wounded in
its wake. Every new attack makes another woman a widow
and more children orphans. Every new attack
demonstrates the inability or unwillingness of
governments to exercise their moral obligation to stop
the violence. Every new attack underscores our
collective failure to stop making violence our
preferred choice for confronting the problems facing
us all.

The UN Security Council must intervene to stop the
violence and avoid an escalation of the conflict that
could engulf the region in yet more war. It is time
for internationally mediated negotiations for
comprehensive peace in the Middle East. Such
negotiations must include civil society groups, and
women from throughout the region. Women and children
suffer disproportionately during and after conflict,
and women must have a voice in finding meaningful
solutions to the violence.

Shirin Ebadi, an Iranian lawyer, received the Nobel
Peace Prize in 2003 for her work defending human
rights. Jody Williams received the Nobel Peace Prize
in 1997 for her work with the International Campaign
to Ban Land Mines.

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