Blame it on the Mideast conflict

NOW that the war on Lebanon has come to an end, the focus has shifted to building the proposed UN peacekeeping force for the country. But the task of forming a peacekeeping force is not as easy as it may seem, despite the willingness of European and Muslim countries to commit themselves to such an initiative.

Published: Fri 18 Aug 2006, 10:01 AM

Last updated: Sat 4 Apr 2015, 4:58 PM

Given the logistical problems involved, it would be a while before UN force could find itself on the ground in Lebanon.

But even if the UN force becomes a reality soon, there is no guarantee that it can keep peace in Lebanon if the Israelis and Hezbollah decide to take on each other once again. Israel has refused to withdraw from the south of Lebanon until the arrival of the multinational force or Lebanese troops. This is a situation fraught with dangerous possibilities. Even a minor skirmish could escalate to take the form of a full-scale conflict in no time.

European Union leadership did some much needed plain-speaking on Wednesday by pointing out that lasting peace in Lebanon was possible only when the Palestine-Israel conflict was resolved. Foreign minister Erkki Tuomioja of Finland, which currently holds the EU presidency, has warned that the UN Resolution on Lebanon is only the beginning and if the peace process between Palestinians and Israelis is not revived and pushed forward, lasting peace will elude Lebanon and Middle East.

Finland’s leader has said it as it is. The Lebanon conflagration and almost all recent conflicts in the Middle East have been spawned or fanned by the six-decade old conflict between the Palestinians and Israelis. It’s this conflict that is responsible for the current chasm between the West and the Muslim world. It has over the years created and fuelled extremist tendencies around the world.

This is why it is heartening to note that the EU is coming around to seeing the big picture. But Europe should not stop at merely identifying the problem. It should come forward with solutions. Europe’s help is especially important now that the US has abdicated its role of the peacemaker and honest broker in the Middle East.

Under pressure from the neo-cons, the Bush administration is more concerned with keeping Israel and Israeli lobby happy rather than resolving this dangerous conflict on the basis of justice and equality. However, the Middle East hasn’t given up on Europe. Many in the region believe that the EU can play a more harmonising and honest role than the US in the Middle East. With the exception of Blair’s Britain, most EU states are seen as favouring a just solution and homeland for the Palestinians. So will the real Europe, please stand up?