It seems that there are no real intentions or actions to realize targets of the call of US president George W. Bush which aims at improving the image of the United States before the Arab and Muslim world and covering events in Iraq and Afghanistan and conflict with Iran.

Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said that there is no solution for the problem of refugees except through settling them in the Palestinian state. She noted that this state, if established, will be the home of Palestinians who live in Israel as the state of Israel is a Jewish one, the matter which shows the racism of this entity.

The statements of Livni are related to the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their villages and cities in occupied Palestine as all Palestinian factions insist to discuss and settle this issue. Also, some Israeli senior officials doubted the possibility to approve to return to borders of 1967 approved by Palestinians to be borders of their independent state. The Israeli government also refuses to set a timetable for the peace negotiations which means that Israel is wasting time.

On other hand, in spite of resolutions of the international legitimacy and US propaganda which do not match with the real stances of Washington to abolish the settlements as well as Israeli promises to eliminate the random settlements, Israel continues the construction and expansion of settlements with the aim of swallowing more Palestinian territories.

There are questions about the continuation of Israel's occupation of the Syrian Golan Heights which Damascus conditioned to put it on the agenda of Annapolis peace conference in order to attend it. The Arab countries must adopt a unified stance towards this issue in order to liberate the Arab territories, if there are real intentions to hold serious negotiations for the sake of peace.

Said Arab stance which must include all factors of settlement will be the decisive point in any international or regional action to reach the comprehensive and just peace thus leading to the security and stability of the Middle East region.

Galal Dowedar
Al Akhbar
November 22, 2007