Palestine situation

By O. H. Kabir, Dhaka-1203
19 December 2004, 18:00 PM
A pall of gloom looms large all over the world due to the sad demise of the great Palestinian leader and the great freedom fighter Yasser Arafat. Yasser Arafat left no stone unturned for a peaceful solution of the Palestinian crisis. But US President George Bush and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon boycotted and castigated Yasser Arafat and put him in inhuman captivity in Ramallah for long three years and at last Yasser Arafat breathed his last in a hospital in Paris. His life long dream for an independent Palestinian state remained unfulfilled. Now when the Palestinians with a heavy heart have begun preparing for an election to choose a successor to Yasser Arafat the US President George Bush says "It is an opportunity to revive the moribund Palestine peace process. I believe we have got a great chance to establish a Palestinian state. I would like to see it done in four years. Is not the position of George Bush self-contradictory? Has not George Bush in his roadmap for peace envisaged the establishment of the independent state of Palestine by the year 2005? So why this new tactics and bluff ?

Not only that, even after the passing away of Yasser Arafat Israeli forces continue to carry out killings of the Palestinians and destruction of their house indiscriminately with US supplied arms, ammunition and bulldozers.

We very much doubt the secret plans and programmes of US President George Bush and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. We all desire a peaceful, just and honourable solution to the problem which remains unresolved due to the chicanery of the US and Israel for over half a century.

We therefore strongly feel that it its imperative to hold the forthcoming January 2005 Palestinian election under the supervision of the United Nations and also posting of UN peace keeping forces in Palestine for the sake of security of life and property, peace and justice of the Palestinians living under Israeli occupation and tyranny.