During 35 years of struggle, Arafat continued to reject whatever was offered on the grounds that it fell short of Palestinian and Arab expectations. What amounted to treason and a stab in the back is now viewed as victory by a Palestinian government not even sure of the little it may finally get. It is indeed regrettable to see the main concern of the Palestinian leader being confined to proving he is still active and has not been sidelined or marginalized. Arafat is acting as if he embodies the Palestinian cause and that without him there will be no cause. Everyone, including the Arabs, knows very well the man has effectively been shelved and that all that can be done about this is to retain him as a symbol of the Palestinian struggle. A national cause requires a symbol.

Who will call Saddam to account for the crimes he committed? No one. Who will hold Arafat responsible for all the opportunities that were lost as a result of misjudgments and perceptions that in the end were proved wrong? Again, no one.

Almighty God will summon all leaders on the Day of Judgment and they will be held accountable for their actions. Those who believe in Divine judgment will work to save themselves and those who fail to understand what awaits them will wish they had never assumed public office.

It seems that after the removal of Saddam some Arab governments learned the lesson the hard way and are busy trying to spare themselves a similar fate. They woke up to reality only after seeing Saddam being removed and not because the country was being occupied. Stands taken by governments are usually intended to protect the regime rather than the country and its people. The race is now in full swing in two directions — one leading to Washington and the other to Tel Aviv.

Why Tel Aviv?

Because it is through Tel Aviv that all gates leading to America will open to those waiting to enter. This explains why Qatar and Israel have reached a security agreement following secret meetings in Britain between their intelligence officials. The meetings aimed at warding off any threats targeting the two countries. Based on the same logic and in the wake of the decision by the American ruler of Iraq, Paul Bremer, to dissolve the Iraqi Army, we can understand the Syrian government’s decision to stop teaching military education at the country’s schools and replace it with summer courses. Of course, we should remember that the Golan Heights are still under Israeli occupation and that Damascus is seeking the return of its territory. Syria, which absented itself from the United Nations Security Council session that voted for lifting the sanctions against Iraq, thus effectively putting the country’s resources under American and British control, changed its position the next day and supported the resolution.

Arabs are not the only heroes in this drama. France dispatched its foreign minister to Israel to mend fences damaged because of its position on the war against Iraq. But an arrogant and inconsiderate Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon snubbed the Frenchman and refused to receive him.

Where will all this rushing about lead us?

Only God knows. The one consolation here is that it is a rushing about by regimes and not by people.

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(Muhammad Al-Shibani is a Saudi writer based in Jeddah.)