(Access Middle East) Khaled Abu Toameh - Palestinians are continuing to lose the sympathy and understanding of the international community. A senior Palestinian official said that when he contacted different governments to complain about the Israeli "massacres" in Gaza, he was surprised to hear almost full understanding for Israel's motives for the operation, which began two weeks ago after two infants were killed by Kassam rockets in the Israeli town of Sderot. "Before you call us to complain about Israeli atrocities, why don't you tell Yasser Arafat and Hamas to stop firing rockets at Israeli cities," a senior European diplomat said. One ambassador told a top Arafat aide, "My government is not prepared to interfere this time with Israel unless the Palestinian Authority starts taking practical measures to enforce law and order." Former Prime Minister Abu Mazen said in a recent interview, "The world is now against us because we are being portrayed as ruthless terrorists who blow up buses and use rockets and guns." Palestinian columnists observed that Israel had managed to place its campaign against the Palestinian armed groups on the same side as the U.S.-led war on terror.
2004-10-13 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive