Palestinian refugees decry Arab summits as 'useless' - Feature

Mon, 29 Mar 2010
Weedah Hamzah

Beirut - Palestinian refugees are questioning the effectiveness of Arab summits in the wake of last week's meeting in Libya, saying they yield little more than talk.

"Speeches. Arab leaders should not meet to solve any Arab issue, because they never come out with anything except speeches," Abu Jammal, a Palestinian refugee who has lived in Lebanon since Israel was established in 1948, said Monday.

Speaking to the German Press Agency dpa in Chatila camp at the southern outskirts of Beirut, the 78-year-old Abu Jammal, whose full name is Mohammed Abu Rodeina, described the latest Arab summit as "useless."

"It is very clear to all the Palestinians now that they are being sold out at an auction," the survivor of the Sabra and Chatila massacre, when Israel invaded Lebanon in 1982, said.

Members of the 22-nation Arab League gathered in Libya for their annual summit on Saturday. Israel's decision to build 1,600 new settlements in east Jerusalem has been a particular point of focus for delegates.

"I heard on the radio that the leaders failed to reach a consensus over the resumption of the peace talks with Israel," Abu Jammal noted. "However, the Arab summit recommended giving the peace talks another opportunity if Israel halts its settlement."

Moamer Gaddafi, the Libyan leader, had opened the summit by calling on Arab leaders to take action, not just resort to words.

"The Arabs can never reach an agreement on anything," Abu Jammal said. "Building hopes on Arab leaders is useless."

"Simply, our leaders underestimate our level of intelligence," he added.

Abu Jammal, who lost two sons fighting for their right to return home, is among four million Palestinians who living in the diaspora. Some 367,000 of them live in miserable conditions in 12 camps across Lebanon.

Suheil Natour, a Palestinian political analyst, told dpa, "the Palestinian people have lost hope in all promises and simply, they see no light in the long, dark tunnel."

"The Palestinians do not want promises only, they want real support in order for them to face the Israeli daily challenges," Natour said.

In the nearby Mar Elias camp, shop vendors reading newspapers on Monday morning were also critical of Arab leaders at the summit.

"Arab summits are a place for Arab leaders to either fight with each other or reconcile, but they never focus on the important issues that they are supposed to tackle and resolve," Mohammed Chaban said.

He said he believes the entire Middle East is "in a critical position" because of Arab political divisions.

"Maybe we have to remind the Arab leaders that Jerusalem and the Palestinian territories are territories occupied by Israel in 1967, and all constructions on these lands are illegal Jewish settlements," he added. "Because for sure, they seem to have forgotten."

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/316330,palestinian-refugees-decry-arab-summits-as-useless--feature.html.