Sharon and Bush threaten wider Middle East war

President Bush has given Israel a clear signal that he 
supports further aggression against Syria and Lebanon. He told 
Israel's Prime Minister Sharon that his country "should not feel 
constrained" in defending itself. "I made it very clear to the 
prime minister, like I have constantly done, that Israel's got a 
right to defend herself, that Israel must not feel constrained in 
defending the homeland".

Encouraged by the support of the US, Sharon said immediately that 
Israel would "hit its enemies any place and in any way".

Immediately after the Iraqi war, the Bush administration has 
waged a virulent campaign against Syria and also Iran, alleging 
that Syria was sending "terrorists" across its border to Iraq, 
that Syria had given safe haven to Iraqi leaders, that Iraqi WMD 
had been secreted in Syria. The campaign against Iran is centred 
on its alleged plans to develop nuclear weapons.

Since the failed campaign in Iraq and the consequent revelations 
of lies and more lies on weapons of mass destruction as its 
reason for going to war in Iraq, the US is struggling to keep 
world tension at the highest pitch.

It is not surprising that Israel's plans to assassinate Arafat or 
to ban him from Palestine has received only a mild rebuke from 
the US.

The recent Israeli air strike inside Syria is a new escalation of 
tensions in the Middle East and threatens a wider war.

Let us be clear about one thing — a military attack on a country 
is an act of aggression. No matter how much Bush and his 
followers want to re-write international law, the fact remains 
that in the eyes of the world, it is an act of aggression

The US attitude is not surprising. According to the Bush doctrine 
of preventive war and its "right" to strike countries that might 
harbour terrorists Israel did nothing wrong.

However, the majority of the members of the UN Security Council 
wanted to condemn the Israeli strike but a resolution condemning 
Israel was vetoed by the United States.

UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan deplored the raid on Syria 
saying that "this further escalation of an already tense and 
difficult situation has the potential to broaden the scope of 
current conflicts in the Middle East, further threatening 
regional peace and stability".

"Uncontrollable consequences"

The Arab League meeting in Egypt said the raid could lead to 
"uncontrollable consequences, which could drag the whole region 
into a violent whirlpool".

The Syrian Communist Party issued a statement which said, in 
part: "We call free people all around the world to denounce the 
Israeli aggression, and all the democratic, liberal and peace 
forces are invited to condemn this aggression which not only 
threatens the neighbouring peoples in the region but can also 
lead, if not controlled, to detrimental results that will have 
destructive effects on the whole international stage".

The backdrop to the escalation of tensions is Israel's relentless 
building of hundreds of illegal settlements, its construction of 
an apartheid wall along the West Bank border, its constant 
threats to assassinate Palestinian leaders including Arafat, the 
repeated invasion of Palestinian towns and the destruction of the 
homes of individuals.

Ariel Sharon has become increasingly reckless and recently openly 
called upon the United States to "take on" Syria and Iran.