Intifada Against Iran, Anyone?
Posted on March 31, 2008
Filed Under Middle East, News, Politics, Terrorism
“Israeli Occupation”, “Free Palestine”, “Palestinian refugees”, “Evil Zionists”…anyone who’s following the Israeli-”Palestinian” conflict might get an impression that the way Arab Muslim countries conduct themselves in their conflict with Israel is the typical way they react when they think someone stole their land. The reality is, however, different.
There is an old tilt between Iran and UAE over the alleged Iranian occupation of the islands of Abu Musa and the Greater and Lesser Tunbs in the Persian (or as the Arabs
it “Arabian”) Gulf. UAE regards it as a stolen land, and liberation of these islands from the Iranian occupation was one of the objectives (in his own words) of the war between Iran and Iraq launched by Saddam Hussein. UAE even took their claims to the UN in 1980.
From Wikipedia:
The island had been a part of Iran from antiquity until the early 20th century,[6] when Britain annexed the island, administering it along with the other British-controlled islands in the Persian Gulf, including what is today the UAE. In the late 1960s, Britain transferred administration of the island to the British-appointed Sharjah, one of the seven sheikdoms that would later form the UAE. After Britain announced in 1968 that it would relinquish its hegemony in the Persian Gulf, Iran moved to reattach the island politically to the mainland.
Yet, no demonstrations against the Iranian occupation of the islands, no buses with children are blown in Iran, no condemnations are being issued 24/7 by the Arab countries as they do against Israel, no Arab “commentator” sitting in some European capital is foaming his mouth on CNN, BBC and Al Jazeera, justifying the murder of the Iranian civilians over this occupation, and no UN Security Council session is called to discuss the issue.
What is taking place is a gentle diplomatic lamentation and begging by the Arab league to end the occupation of the islands:
Damascus: The Arab Summit wound up here on Sunday with a renewed call to Iran to end its occupation of the UAE islands of Abu Mousa, the Greater and Lesser Tunbs.
The summit, which was presided over by Syrian President Bashar Al Assad, also condemned the incessant Iranian attempts to create a fait accompli by way of building settlements on the occupied islands.
“The continued attempts by Iran to build settlements and conduct wargames in the territorial waters, air space, economic zones and coral reefs of the occupied islands, are all acts that constitute a gross violation of the UAE sovereignty and territorial integrity,” said a communique issued at the end of the summit.
The summit urged Iran to cease such acts of provocation, saying they amounted to unwarranted interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign state.
“Moreover, such acts cannot help in building confidence but would rather jeopardise regional stability and security,” it said.
The summit called on Iran to rethink its current position in favour of a negotiated settlement, either through serious and direct talks or through international arbitration.
Isn’t that sweet? Cute little bunnies, playing polite and diplomatic? “Could you please if you please be so kind please give us our islands back…pretty please?”
What happened to “In spirit and blood we will redeem Abu Musa and Tunbs!!!” (replace the names of the Islands with “Palestine” or “Jerusalem” or “Al Aqsa” and you’ll get the usual text that is being screamed, chanted and ranted during the demonstrations against Israel in the West Bank and Gaza)?
A few words of advise to the Arab League: FILE FOR PATENT IN HYPOCRISY
Comments
Leave a Reply
