Ariel Sharon: Buddha or butcher of Middle East?

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon

By Gul Jammas Hussain Sat Jan !!" #$!% &oltaire once said" 'Men use thou(ht only to )ustify their *ron( doin(s" and *ords only to conceal their thou(hts+, -ith former Israeli (eneral and .rime minister Ariel Sharon/s lon( antici.ated death" the -estern media has (one to (reat len(ths to .aint him as the Buddha of the Middle East+ 0he *hole *orld 1no*s that he achie2ed his nir2ana in Beirut in Se.tember !34# at the Sabra and Shatila refu(ee cam.s *hen 5ebanese mercenaries bac1ed by Israeli forces slau(htered thousands of innocent Palestinian and 5ebanese Muslims+ Sharon" *ho *as in a coma for ei(ht years after sufferin( a stro1e in January #$$6 at the .ea1 of his .o*er" died on Saturday a(ed 47+ He *as the man *hose list of crimes a(ainst humanity e8ual" if not e9ceed" those of Adol.h Hitler and Slobodan Milose2ic+ Sharon actually considers Milose2ic his 'soul mate, and once said tal1in( to a Bel(rade ne*s.a.er that 'the Israelis stand to(ether *ith you a(ainst Islamic terrorism,+ It *as shoc1in( to see ho* such an e.icenter of e2il and brutality *as declared 'a man of .eace, not only by se2eral -estern leaders" but also by some of the most .o*erful *orld media outlets+ Journalist after )ournalist" and commentator after commentator *ould mani.ulate their res.ecti2e media to .reach to their audiences in the *orld o2er ho* Sharon had metamor.hosed from a scour(e into a saint+ 0he .rimary reason they offered as .roof of Sharon/s metamor.hosis *as ho* he" actin( a(ainst the *ishes of the Israelis" ended the Ga:a occu.ation in Au(ust #$$7+ 0hey stressed that he *as (oin( to be more successful in e9ecutin( that ty.e of disen(a(ement o.eration in the occu.ied -est Ban1 as *ell+ 0hey created the im.ression that he had under(one a com.lete chan(e of heart in the last fe*

months of his rule; it *ould ha2e been far better" they im.lied" if he had stayed at the helm of the 0el A2i2 re(ime a bit lon(er so that .eace could return to that most mali(ned land+ <f course" the .o*er and influence of the -estern media has been there all alon( but its mani.ulati2e .o*ers once a(ain became more clear *hen Sharon/s death *as announced on January !!" #$!%+ 0he media used this o..ortunity to *hite*ash Sharon/s lifetime le(acy+ It sim.ly dis.layed the *orst 1ind of .enchant to t*ist the facts and .resented the carni2orous *olf as -illiam Bla1e/s little lamb+ In their bid to .ay their last homa(e to Sharon" the -estern media *ent an e9tra mile to chan(e the nature of his actions+ =laimin( his dirty deeds *ere ta1en only for the sa1e of Israel/s self interest" the media .resented them as mo2es to create .eace and harmony in the re(ion > the most trum.eted mo2e amon( them *as his decision to discontinue ?ionist settlements in the Ga:a Stri.+ His .olicy to carry out the disen(a(ement .rocess *as de.icted as an e.ic stru((le in *hich he emer(ed as a true hero+ @o one bothered to inform the 2ie*ers that under the terms of the <slo Accord si(ned bet*een Aasser Arafat and Ait:ha1 Babin" Israel *as su..osed to 2acate the -est Ban1 and Ga:a by A.ril !C" !333" not by Au(ust ##" #$$7+ <n the contrary" Sharon had no intention of lea2in( the -est Ban1 *hile he en)oyed America/s su..ort in this res.ect+ In reality" the dimensions of the Ga:a *ithdra*al .lan ran counter to the s.irit of all D@ resolutions and .eace .lans" includin( the <slo Accord and the A.ril #$$C roadma.+ Dnder the Ga:a .lan" Israel intended to dismantle all ?ionist settlements set u. on land that for some !%$$ years belon(ed to the Palestinians" not the Israelis+ -hen Israel occu.ied the Ga:a Stri." it e2icted Palestinians by blo*in( u. their homes" destroyin( their orchards and di2ertin( *ater to Je*ish 1ibbut:im EsettlementsF+ 0hese settlements *ere ille(al and a built in 2iolation of international la* that forbids the occu.yin( .o*er from alterin( the occu.ied territories/ demo(ra.hic character+ Also at that time" the mani.ulation of 2isual media concealed the fact that those e2icted from their settlements had occu.ied them ille(ally" in 2iolation of international la* and mo2ed a*ay only some thirty 1ilometers from their former Ga:a homes to the -est Ban1 and not to Israel+ Moreo2er" they had been .aid an a2era(e of G!+7 million .er family as resettlement com.ensation+ Bather melodramatic scenes *ere sho*n o2er and o2er a(ain on all ma)or -estern 0& channels" but the s.ectacle of tears also e9.osed indirectly the hy.ocrisy of the entire media charade: if ille(al ?ionist settlers *ere feelin( a bit miserable *hile lea2in( their ille(ally obtained homes" ima(ine ho* all those Palestinians *ho *ere rendered homeless in their o*n land by Israel %6 years a(o must ha2e felt+ It also obscured the tra(edy of !C"C7$ Palestinians *ho *ere thro*n out of their houses by Sharon/s .olicy of collecti2e .unishment by demolishin( their houses for alle(edly 'harborin( sus.ect Palestinian fi(hters, in them+ In rounds of a..lause by the media commentators for Sharon/s 'coura(eous and .ainful ste.," it *as also for(otten that des.ite the Israeli .ullout in #$$7" the re(ime in 0el A2i2 had retained control of Ga:a/s airs.ace" territorial *aters and border entry .oints+ 0he mo2ement of Palestinians and their contact *ith the outside *as still controlled by Israel *hich maintained troo.s alon( the E(y.tian and Ga:a borders+

Ga:a is cut off from the *orld+ All three of its e9its" sub)ect to arbitrary closure" are controlled by Israel and E(y.t+ 0he restrictions on mo2ements and closures ha2e already led to a massi2e fall in Ga:ans/ li2in( standards *here .er ca.ita income for a Palestinian a2era(es DSG 4H$ com.ared to DSG C%"4H$ for an Israeli+ Iee.in( in mind this mon1eyin( by the -estern media" one can only .ay tribute to Jr+ Jose.h Goebbels *ho belie2ed 'If you tell a lie bi( enou(h and 1ee. re.eatin( it" .eo.le *ill e2entually come to belie2e it+, @o *onder that u.on his death" Sharon > the butcher of Beirut and the architect of the Middle East bloodbath > has earned such encomiums from his ad2ocates+