After Obama's speech.
Ahmed Hany
June 14, 2009
As soon as President Barack Hussein Obama finished his speech and analysts gave a full critic for it. The man is intellectual and sincere in correcting mistakes of Bush´s administration. Whether his sincerity came from a will to achieve peace with Moslems or a will to serve his global strategy, the fact is that his speech marks a turning point in the Islamic-US relationship or even partnership. The other fact is that this partnership serves the interests of the Islamic World and the global power.
He asks Moslems and Americans to talk frankly to each other. When he talked about the Israel he said that Jews had a state in Palestine to compensate them after the Holocaust on the hands of Nazis. Historically Napoleon was the first to think about creation a state for Jews in Palestine to Separate Egypt from Turkey so that the Ottoman Empire would fail. Belford´s promise was declared to make rich Jews support the British Empire during WWI. Even if Israel was created because of the Holocaust, then the Palestinians who lost their land and the Egyptians who lost one hundred thousand martyrs and trillion Egyptian pounds on wars paid for the Nazis´ sins. The camp that gassing and killing of Jews had taken place that President Obama visited after he left Cairo is in Germany not in any Middle Eastern country. The Islamic World gave Jews sanctions when Andalusia fell and they were persecuted and burnt alive.
He compared the Palestinians to African Americans and to Africans in South Africa who suffered from racial discrimination and apartheid. This comparison could be right for the Arab Israelis who live under comparable conditions. However Palestinians in Gaza and West Bank seek independence of their state. They should be compared to the American who fought the British Empire and to French people under Nazi´s occupation. It is the legitimate right of Palestinians to resist and the international law give them the right to fight. We blamed Hamas because children and women paid for their bad tactics and ineffective rockets. We blamed Hamas because during this critical phase it adopted policies that dangerously affected the Palestinian cause. We blamed Hamas because it hired its people to Iran. The Israeli settlers attack civilian Palestinians and kill them. They steal their land. The Israeli government committed war crimes in Gaza and many other places. It did not cooperate with the UN to investigate these war crimes. Israel as a state practiced terrorism. It killed Americans, Mr. Obama´s citizens in Lavon Scandal in Cairo and when it bombed Liberty ship during 1967 war. However it was the first time an American President talks about sufferings of the Palestinians and he did not label Hamas a terrorist group.
President Obama talked about Jerusalem and one could understand that he calls for internationalization of the holey sites to give access to all Ibrahiem´s sons to religious places. Since Caliphate Omar prayed at the stair of the church despite the invitation of the Patriarch to pray inside and no one from any faith could not reach his holey place. Omar made it clear that it is not forbidden for a Moslem to pray in a church but he feared that someone might say that the site where the Caliphate prayed might be ours.
Then, President Obama asks the Islamic World to accept peace based on the possible not on the justice for the sake of new generations. This is a concession from the Islamic World and he would compensate this concession by a new Marshal plan to develop this part of the world. Pragmatically, it is a good deal but it needs much effort to done. The idea is the more development, enlightenment and prosperity the Islamic World achieves, the more security and less violence could be reached. However security does not mean correcting behavior of the youth who decided to die only. Security means security between states also. He did not tell precisely and in details about the Israeli nuclear stockpiles. To prevent nuclear arms race in the Middle East, this stockpiles should be removed.
Most of analysts talked about the speech but they did not mention what is needed after Obama returns to Washington. He promised that he would fight stereotyping of Moslems as terrorists. However, this mission is the duty of the Islamic media first of all. We have to confess that we failed in media and propaganda and to take steps towards better action.
He said that he would be patient to achieve piece. In fact, people in this area of the world have been patient for sixty years. What is needed is an action plan to be complementary to the road map and the Arab peace initiative. What are urgently needed are protective measures for Palestinians in West Bank and Gaza to create good environment for negotiations. What is most needed is close observation of developments in Washington not to leave the theater for the Zionist Lobby to devise the administration policy.
The Islamic-US partnership is a prerequisite for the American global strategy and it could lead to peace and development of the Islamic World. However partnership means actions from both sides. Obama talked and won hearts in Cairo but both sides should talk business to achieve something on the ground. The Americans chose a strategy to address the two main core problems, Palestine and Iran. Other things in Obama´s speech were mechanisms. The Islamic World would observe what would happen in Palestine first including the Israeli nuclear arms. The Americans´ target is Central Asia and their talks with Iran will concentrate strategically on the Indian Ocean, the Gulf and Afghanistan. As Obama talked about Iran in Cairo while addressing the Islamic world, and even he talked about the Sunni-Shiite dispute then Egyptians and moderate Arabs are invited to be part of this dialogue directly or indirectly.
He asks Moslems and Americans to talk frankly to each other. When he talked about the Israel he said that Jews had a state in Palestine to compensate them after the Holocaust on the hands of Nazis. Historically Napoleon was the first to think about creation a state for Jews in Palestine to Separate Egypt from Turkey so that the Ottoman Empire would fail. Belford´s promise was declared to make rich Jews support the British Empire during WWI. Even if Israel was created because of the Holocaust, then the Palestinians who lost their land and the Egyptians who lost one hundred thousand martyrs and trillion Egyptian pounds on wars paid for the Nazis´ sins. The camp that gassing and killing of Jews had taken place that President Obama visited after he left Cairo is in Germany not in any Middle Eastern country. The Islamic World gave Jews sanctions when Andalusia fell and they were persecuted and burnt alive.
He compared the Palestinians to African Americans and to Africans in South Africa who suffered from racial discrimination and apartheid. This comparison could be right for the Arab Israelis who live under comparable conditions. However Palestinians in Gaza and West Bank seek independence of their state. They should be compared to the American who fought the British Empire and to French people under Nazi´s occupation. It is the legitimate right of Palestinians to resist and the international law give them the right to fight. We blamed Hamas because children and women paid for their bad tactics and ineffective rockets. We blamed Hamas because during this critical phase it adopted policies that dangerously affected the Palestinian cause. We blamed Hamas because it hired its people to Iran. The Israeli settlers attack civilian Palestinians and kill them. They steal their land. The Israeli government committed war crimes in Gaza and many other places. It did not cooperate with the UN to investigate these war crimes. Israel as a state practiced terrorism. It killed Americans, Mr. Obama´s citizens in Lavon Scandal in Cairo and when it bombed Liberty ship during 1967 war. However it was the first time an American President talks about sufferings of the Palestinians and he did not label Hamas a terrorist group.
President Obama talked about Jerusalem and one could understand that he calls for internationalization of the holey sites to give access to all Ibrahiem´s sons to religious places. Since Caliphate Omar prayed at the stair of the church despite the invitation of the Patriarch to pray inside and no one from any faith could not reach his holey place. Omar made it clear that it is not forbidden for a Moslem to pray in a church but he feared that someone might say that the site where the Caliphate prayed might be ours.
Then, President Obama asks the Islamic World to accept peace based on the possible not on the justice for the sake of new generations. This is a concession from the Islamic World and he would compensate this concession by a new Marshal plan to develop this part of the world. Pragmatically, it is a good deal but it needs much effort to done. The idea is the more development, enlightenment and prosperity the Islamic World achieves, the more security and less violence could be reached. However security does not mean correcting behavior of the youth who decided to die only. Security means security between states also. He did not tell precisely and in details about the Israeli nuclear stockpiles. To prevent nuclear arms race in the Middle East, this stockpiles should be removed.
Most of analysts talked about the speech but they did not mention what is needed after Obama returns to Washington. He promised that he would fight stereotyping of Moslems as terrorists. However, this mission is the duty of the Islamic media first of all. We have to confess that we failed in media and propaganda and to take steps towards better action.
He said that he would be patient to achieve piece. In fact, people in this area of the world have been patient for sixty years. What is needed is an action plan to be complementary to the road map and the Arab peace initiative. What are urgently needed are protective measures for Palestinians in West Bank and Gaza to create good environment for negotiations. What is most needed is close observation of developments in Washington not to leave the theater for the Zionist Lobby to devise the administration policy.
The Islamic-US partnership is a prerequisite for the American global strategy and it could lead to peace and development of the Islamic World. However partnership means actions from both sides. Obama talked and won hearts in Cairo but both sides should talk business to achieve something on the ground. The Americans chose a strategy to address the two main core problems, Palestine and Iran. Other things in Obama´s speech were mechanisms. The Islamic World would observe what would happen in Palestine first including the Israeli nuclear arms. The Americans´ target is Central Asia and their talks with Iran will concentrate strategically on the Indian Ocean, the Gulf and Afghanistan. As Obama talked about Iran in Cairo while addressing the Islamic world, and even he talked about the Sunni-Shiite dispute then Egyptians and moderate Arabs are invited to be part of this dialogue directly or indirectly.