Israel's belief in supremacy over Arabs, a grave mistake

"Israel's believed supremacy over the Arabs would be a grave mistake," said Presidential Political Advisor Osama Al-Baz. The Israelis have been waging an undeclared war against the Palestinians, using all air, ground and sea weapons.

Baz, in a speech inaugurating an Arab symposium on the internal system in Israel and its impact on Israel's foreign policy, said that the Israeli operations against the Palestinians were not meant to preserve the Jewish state's security .

"The Arabs have a duty to link such Israeli practices to the question of human rights which have been flagrantly violated by the Israeli war machine," Baz said.

"It is totally against the grain to give short shift to the 1948 Arabs in Israel," Baz said, adding that they had endured much, held on to their land and Arabism and refused to melt in the Zionist entity.

"The Arabs of 1948 remained Arab and preserved their language, religion and culture, as has been made clear in the latest Intifada," he added.

Baz voiced surprise at Israel's claims of being threatened by the Arabs, despite its possession of a nuclear arsenal and the fact that it was the party occupying Arab land.

Characterizing the Israeli personality as schizophrenic, Baz said while the Israelis feel superior in all domains, inside them there is fear and anxiety, which enhance their obsession with security and consequently their growing demand for more weaponry.

Refuting the argument on Israel as being an economic giant, Baz said in 2000 Israel's imports exceeded its exports by dlrs 7 billion.

"Singapore, with its population of some 2.5 million making up three ethnic communities, is far stronger than Israel economically, with exports five times more than Israel's", Baz added.

In reply to questions, Baz did not believe that the Likud and Labor parties in Israel would ever differ on the point of security.

Baz urged the Arabs to look for ways to be influential, so Arab interests would become accepted on the international arena.

"Arab trade with the European Union accounts for 70 percent of total Arab trade with the world," he said, adding that this fact should be exploited in creating the needed political leverage.

Through joint interests and good media discourse, it would be possible to convince European states and companies, including Jewish firms, that their real interests lay in recognizing Arab rights, and not in supporting every move by Israel, however wrong.

On the possibility of the Palestinians and Israelis living in one state, Baz saw it possible in the long run, as the case had been in the past, but found it rather far-fetched in the foreseeable future.

Israeli institutions are obstructing such co-existence, as it would mean the end of Israeli dream.

Speaking of the support Israel receives from the Jewish community in the US, Baz made it clear that despite such backing, the fact remained that the US and Israel were not in the same trench.