By Omar Obeidat
ROME –– Despite airing different views on how to achieve peace in the Middle East, journalists from across the region agreed that the European Union (EU) is not doing enough to end the Arab-Israeli conflict.
The EU does not have a clear policy on the region and it should distinguish itself from the US, which has become unable to achieve any progress in the peace process, said the journalists, who gathered at a media forum held in Rome last week titled: “The Middle East Through A Media Lens: Problems and Opportunities”, calling on European countries to increase their political and economic presence in the region.
At the forum held at the Italian foreign ministry headquarters, Hafez Barghouti, chief editor of the Ramallah-based Al Hayaat Al Jadida newspaper, accused the West of not exerting serious efforts to bring about peace and stability to the troubled region in order to continue dominating regional natural resources.
Stressing that the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is the core issue in the Middle East, Barghouti said: “Instability will prevail in the region because of oil resources and the intransigence of Israel, which does not want peace.”
Barghouti elaborated that the Middle East will be dragged into a religious conflict if the status quo, no-peace, no-war state, continues. “I can see a bleak future for the region due to extremist Jews, Muslims and radical Iran.”
If the conflict continues, the future will be for rabbis, mullas and Al Qaeda, the Palestinian veteran journalist warned, explaining that in addition to the Israeli plans to control the area, Iran and Turkey also have their own agendas in the region.
“Unfortunately, the Arabs do not have their own enterprise and their weakness allowed these countries to have ambitions in the region,” he stated.
Alon Ben David, senior defence correspondent for Israel’s Channel 10 television, agreed with Barghouti that there is change in the traditional power balance in the region with the roles of Saudi Arabia and Egypt diminishing, while Iran and Turkey are assuming the leading role.
Regarding the possibility of achieving peace, the Israeli journalist stated that currently the Israeli government is not ready to give any concessions, including halting settlement building, charging the US administration of being lenient with stakeholders.
However, Ben David argued that the central worry in the Middle East is no longer the slow progress in solving the Arab-Israeli conflict but Iran, which, according to him, created a monster inside Lebanon, in reference to Hizbollah.
Nadim Ladki, from the Lebanese Daily Star, countered Ben David, saying that Israel is the major threat to the entire region.
“Israel is occupying the lands of three Arab countries and Hizbollah power emerged as a reaction to this occupation,” Ladki noted, adding that neither the US nor the EU are able of convincing Israel to stop illegal settlements.
One of the forum’s sessions was attended by Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini, who expressed hope that the EU has had a bigger role in ending the regional conflict.
“I would have loved to see Europe more involved from the beginning in direct talks between Palestinians and Israelis, particularly in the Washington summit,” he said, saying that however, the EU will continue to support US efforts in the region.
The Italian top diplomat stressed that the two-state solution, which includes establishing an independent state for Palestinians, is the only option to end the conflict.
Israel should multiply its efforts and should stop settlement building, which is an obstacle for the peace process.
“Yes Italy is a friend of Israel but also a good friend of Palestinians,” he said, adding that the EU is also eager to have better ties with Syria.
Syria should rethink considering resuming indirect talks with Israelis, Frattini said, expressing hope that Turkey can promote directly or indirectly peace negotiations between Syrians and Israelis.
Acknowledging that reaching a solution to end the regional conflict in a year is very ambitious, the Italian official however said it is still within reach.
The media forum, organised by the Italian foreign ministry and Agenzia Italia, brought together journalists from Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Israel, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Palestine as well as journalists from Italy to discuss ways on how to increase political and economic cooperation between regional countries and the EU.
20 December 2010
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