gelatik
17.04.02, 23:40
LONDON, April 17 - A former Jewish Labor Member of Parliament in the U.K.
ferociously attacked hawkish Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon and denounced
him as a “war criminal”, a U.K. daily newspaper reported Wednesday, April 17.
Gerald Kaufman, who was speaking in a Commons debate on the Middle East crisis,
condemned Israel's incursions into the West Bank, drawing a resemblance between
Sharon’s tactics with actions of “Zionist terrorists in Palestine in the
1940s,” The Guardian said.
Kaufman slammed Sharon for ordering his troops to “use methods of barbarism
against the Palestinians.”
“It is time to remind Sharon that the Star of David belongs to all Jews and not
to his repulsive government. His actions are staining the Star of David with
blood,” he said.
While he also condemned the Palestinian resistance operations, he said that it
was essential to ask why Palestinians resort to such tactics, reported the
Guardian. “We need to ask how we would feel if we had been occupied for 35
years by a foreign power which denied us the most elementary human rights and
decent living conditions."
He said the “suicide bombers” were similar to the “Zionist Irgun and Stern
gangs, which launched a series of terrorist attacks in Palestine in the run-up
to the creation of the state of Israel in 1948.”
"We need to ask what the Jews did in comparable circumstances," he said. "In
1946 the Irgun controlled by Menacham Begin blew up the King David hotel in
Jerusalem, slaughtering 91 innocent people. In 1948 the Palestinians denounced
what they described as a massacre in the village of Deir Yassin ... The
difference between the Deir Yassin massacre and what happened in Jenin is that
Deir Yassin was the work of terrorist groups denounced by mainstream Jewish
groups. The horrors in Jenin were carried out by the official Israeli army."
He warned that a strike against Iraq would not be possible if Sharon continued
his actions. “To do so would unite the whole Muslim world against the U.S., the
coalition against terrorism would disintegrate, western economies could suffer
a shock comparable to the oil shock of 1973."
Other MPs also voiced Kaufman’s sentiment in the meeting. Ann Clwyd, a Labor
backbencher who has just returned from a visit to the Jenin refugee camp with
the UN, said the E.U. should consider economic sanctions against Israel.
Apologizing for her croaky voice, caused by dust from Israeli tanks, she said
it was not enough for European countries to "simply bleat condemnation".
She added that the E.U. should consider a number of actions including
withdrawing European ambassadors from Israel, imposing an arms embargo as
Germany has already done and economic sanctions must be considered to be put in
place.
On Saturday April 13th, The Guardian quoted official sources saying that
Britain has imposed a de facto arms embargo on Israel for the first time in 20
years.
The ban applies to military equipment that could be used in Israel's continuing
operations in the Palestinian territories, reported the paper.
London's undeclared policy mirrors that of Germany and France, who had also
quietly suspended sales of certain arms, another source said.
“The parallel moves by European powers emphasize Israel's growing estrangement
from its allies and make it more dependent than before on U.S. goodwill,”
reported the paper.
In Britain's case, refusals to approve arms exports are more politically and
diplomatically significant rather than militarily, since Britain is not a major
supplier to Israel's armed forces. Nevertheless, according to the latest
figures, the government last year approved £12.5m worth of military equipment
for export to Israel, said the Guardian.
It included demolition charges, general purpose machine guns, rifles, small
arms ammunition, components for small caliber artillery ammunition, and
components for air-to-surface missiles, armored fighting vehicles, armored
personnel carriers, combat aircraft and helicopters, and tanks. Whitehall
officials made it clear these items would not now be approved for export to
Israel.
“Ministers have demanded an explanation from Israel about its use of British
equipment in actions against Palestinians in the occupied territories. The
Foreign Office disclosed last month that Israeli armed forces had modified
British Centurion tanks, exported between 1958 and 1970, into armored personnel
carriers.
“Speaking to reporters in London on Thursday, the German defense minister,
Rudolf Scharping, confirmed reports that his country was refusing export
licenses for tank parts and other equipment for Israel. Though he insisted
Germany was not operating a formal arms embargo, Berlin had delayed shipments
at what he called ‘this crucial time’.”
Britain formally embargoed arms to Israel following its invasion of Lebanon in
1982.
