There come moments in leaders’ lives when they rise above the bonds of their own selves and prove their mettle by protecting and serving their national interests. History keeps their memories alive and, respecting their strength of character and adulation to human values, makes them beacon of light for the generations to come.

On the other hand if a leader fails, he fails his nation as well as the whole lot of his cadre and is always remembered as an aberration of demagoguery and is treated as dark patch of human history. In all cases the judgement of history is unsparing, frank and essential: only the most dedicated, sincere and thoughtful leaders can escape the wrath of history. George W Bush is at the juncture of a very crucial turn of history.

Should it judge him as the most petty, selfish and myopic leader of American History; a man without understanding of human values and civilisation; a man driven by small considerations of immediate benefits and gains for his nation or a man of wider vision and deep understan ding and respect for other cultures and civilisations, so that he can reap benefits for his nation that are longer lasting with permanent prints on the psychology of humanity across the globe: For the supreme power affords a greater canvas to its leaders.

It is high time America retraced its steps from the Gulf and set its foreign policy agenda in order and got rid of Zionist-Jewish lobby in Washington . It should rethink its alignment with Islamic regimes in the lands of Islam and workout a futuristic cultural and educational programme oriented towards peoples’ participation to win their confidence. It should reduce its political involvement and
tear down the list of its favourites. There are many reasons for doing so.

Firstly, America ’s present policies are not winning it friends all across the globe. One example is the latest veto of the US in the United Nations’ Security Council. On Nov 11 the US vetoed a UNSC resolution that had urged an immediate withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and condemned an Israeli attack there that had killed 19 non-combatant Palestinian civilians, women and children. Earlier in July 2006 the US veto had killed a resolution that had condemned an earlier Israeli incursion in Gaza.

In 61-year life of the United Nations the US has cast 82 vetoes and more than 42 vetoes of them have blocked UNSC decisions curbing Israeli atrocities on Palestinians. By doing so the US has not done any service to humanity nor has it helped promote peace and security in the region.

It is quite intriguing that the First US Ambassador to the UN who cast veto for Israel and blocked quite a reasonable resolution in 1972 that could bring peace and stability to the region and could have put the Middle East on some constructive course, was George Herbert Walker Bush, father of George W Bush. Bush need to get rid of his legacy and come to terms with new reality in the Middle East: Rising,
uncompromising spirit of Palestine for self-determination.

The world at large, although unable to exert itself and do anything tangible in terms of bringing relief to Palestinians, is quite in tune with their aspirations and subsequent non-binding resolution passed by the General Assembly with more than two-thirds majority in the third week of November proved that one day Palestinians will get their birth right recognised by even the most oppressive regime in human history. It seems America vs the whole world on the question of Palestinians’ right to freedom.

What is pitiable is that the US simply refused to register any criticism made on its decision by the Arab States and the Palstinians themselves who were the most unfortunate target of Israeli aggression. Reacting to the veto Ghazi Hamad, the spokesman for the Hamas-led government, said, ‘This decision by the American administration clearly means the granting of absolute legitimacy to the massacre and slaughter committed by the occupation forces against the Palestinian people,’

He said, ‘This decision means granting the occupation government continuing protection and cover with no limit for its crimes that they commit against innocent civilians in Palestine.’ Should we deny the validity of his words because they were spoken by an anti Israel person: Does the truth only lie with Israeli protagonists? Even the spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas said it would ‘encourage Israel to continue its escalation against the Palestinian people.’

Secondly, The US policy-makers have failed to see that Palestine is a humanitarian issue. A birthright to a nation is being denied. They have been demanding that for the last fifty years.

For the most part of their freedom struggle, the freedom movement had largely been peaceful until the second Intifada was started. Violence had crept into the freedom movement when the life was made unliveable for the Paletinians.

The work that America had started as an ‘honest broker’ must continue and the US leadership should care more for the just verdict of history, than the present short lived political gains the US leadership imagine to achieve under the haze of biased and crooked propaganda of Israeli protagonists. Palestinians are not asking for moon. They are demanding what is their birth right and are asking for something that belongs to them culturally and historically.

Thirdly, the American leadership should develop respect for ex-culture and it should not be judgemental about the leaders of other regions and culture who don’t agree with the US on certain issues and dare differ with it. American leaders pride themselves in freedom of expression at home but deny the same abroad.

The American leadership and policy-makers should do away with the suspicion they reserve for people who don’t drink wine, don’t attend night clubs, like Spartan way of life, offer prayers five times a day, wear turbans and gowns and speak other

American leaders need to understand that the leaders and peoples of the East equally respect the law, human values and institutions and in that they don’t need any refresher course from the Big brother of the North.

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It is high time America retraced its steps from the Gulf and set its foreign policy agenda in order and got rid of Zionist-Jewish lobby in Washington . It should rethink its alignment with Islamic regimes in the lands of Islam and workout a futuristic cultural and educational programme oriented towards peoples’ participation to win their confidence.

First appeared in Pakistan Observer on 26-11-2006