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Ban: scene in Gaza heartbreaking

— Photo: AP

Two girls sort out their school books after finding them among the debris of their destroyed home in Gaza city on Tuesday.

DAMASCUS: United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon visited war-battered Gaza Strip on Tuesday at a time when Arab governments are struggling to establish a suitable mechanism to bring about reconstruction of the coastal Strip and measures to impart political stability to the Palestinian territories.

Mr. Ban described the situation in Gaza as “heartbreaking.” He said those responsible for attacking United Nations buildings and schools in Gaza must be held accountable for their acts.

“It is an outrageous and totally unacceptable attack on the United Nations,” said Mr. Ban, speaking outside the main UN compound in Gaza City which was still smouldering on account of the bombardment. “There must be a full investigation, a full explanation to make sure it never happens again. There should be accountability through a proper judiciary system,” he said.

Arab government heads meeting in Kuwait differed on ways to channel funds for Gaza’s reconstruction. However, Saudi Arabia’s efforts to break common ground among the divided Arab ranks appeared to meet with some initial success. Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz squarely blamed Israel for the Gaza crisis, a view shared by the “radical camp” represented chiefly by Syria and Qatar. Saudi daily Al-Watan noted in its January 20 edition that the “Kingdom did not hold the movement [led by Hamas] responsible for the outcome of the Israeli aggression.” Egypt and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas had initially accused Hamas of provoking the Israeli offensive on Gaza.

King Abdullah also warned Israel that the Arab peace initiative that the Kingdom had proposed in 2002, and which was re-launched in March 2007, could be withdrawn. “Israel has to understand that the choice between war and peace will not always stay open and that the Arab peace initiative that is on the table today will not stay on the table.”

The Arab peace initiative offers Israel collective Arab recognition provided Israel withdraws from the territories it occupied during the 1967 Arab-Israel war. At a recent conference held in Doha, Syrian President Bashar Al Assad had said the Arab peace initiative was “dead.” In a gesture of reconciliation, King Abdullah hosted a lunch in Kuwait where leaders from Syria, Qatar and Egypt were invited.

On Tuesday, Syria’s State-run daily Tishreen praised the outcome of Monday’s meeting in Kuwait. “What happened in Kuwait summit yesterday creates optimism that the [Arab] nations are able to address the ramifications of the Israeli aggression and expose Israel and hold it to account for its war crimes. However, Palestinian daily Al Quds Al Arabi cautioned in its editorial that “one must not be too optimistic after countless disappointments with Arab leaders.”

Meanwhile, Arab countries have stepped up efforts to cite possible use of banned weaponry by Israel on civilian populations during its 22-day military offensive in Gaza.

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