ISRAELI Ambassador to Cyprus, Michael Eligal yesterday chastised the Cyprus media for its “unjustified and unfair” criticism of new Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, whilst speaking of his “real concern” that mounting terrorist attacks could drag the entire Middle East into war.
Right-winger Sharon came to power earlier this month in a landslide victory that ignited fears of a further escalation of violence in the Middle East.
“I say in a very careful way that the trend to prejudge Sharon is not justified and is unfair, given that he has not yet formed a government. He should be judged by his policy and action,” Eligal said.
“Any peace agreement reached by the leader of the right could be sold to public opinion, better than an agreement signed by the left,” he added.
He urged critics to give Sharon credit for implementing the peace accord with Egypt and as the first Israeli to dismantle settlements in Sinai.
Eligal conceded that Sharon was indirectly responsible, though not personally implicated in massacres at Palestinian refugee camps during his time as Minister of Defence.
But he drew a comparison with French President Charles de Gaulle and US President Richard Nixon, who went on to end war in Algeria and end war in Vietnam respectively.
He said people had branded Sharon as hawkish, but “we must admit sometimes it is an advantage to be a hawk rather than a dog”.
“We are involved in a war. Palestinians are shooting. They have guns. They have grenades. The only alternative is to control the situation. Peace now is impossible,” said Eligal.
He spoke of real concerns that a major terrorist attack from across the Lebanese border could thrust the entire region into conflict.
Nevertheless, he expects Sharon to advance “less ambitious, more restricted and more partial agreements” than the peace efforts made by former Israeli-prime minister Ehud Barak and the Clinton administration, provided the Palestinian side is ready to end violence.
Speaking about the presidential change over in the United States, Eligal said Israel expected the Bush administration to make Iran and Iraq their top priority in the Middle East, therefore sidelining the Palestinian issue.
The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.
