THE REFUSAL of the American and British governments to condemn Israel for its actions in Gaza convinced people that they were not interested in justice and peace in the Middle East, journalist Robert Fisk told an audience in Derry last night.
The path to a Middle East settlement lay not in the "thunder of warfare, but in talks that recognise people's rights", Fisk said when delivering the first of this year's Tip O'Neill peace lectures at the University of Ulster Magee campus. "Justice must be the kernel of any lasting peace, not the vested interests of superpowers, their satellite allies or fundamentalist enemies," he said.
Fisk was invited to deliver the lecture by former SDLP leader and Nobel laureate John Hume.
Fisk, who is the London Independent Middle East correspondent, castigated the US and Britain, stating their refusal to condemn Israel's actions "reconfirms in people's minds that the superpowers are not interested in justice and peace in the Middle East."
He was also scathing about the Western media, branding it cowardly in its determination not to upset the Western powers and Israel. He said journalists should be saying, "Why is a nuclear power shelling one-and-a-half million refugees?" "Yes, Hamas is firing these stupid rockets over the border with Israel, and the life of every Israeli is as precious as every other human being. But Israel itself broke the ceasefire last November. Twenty Israelis have been killed there in 10 years. Compare that to more than 370 Palestinians killed in the first six days of this Israeli bombardment."
Fisk spoke about Israel's "self-deluding claims that they are in a war to the bitter end" and Islamic militants' "cynical use of deaths exacted by Israel to fuel their own popular support".
"Hamas needs violence to emphasise the oppression of the Palestinians and relies on Israel to provide it. And so the cycle continues - rockets are fired into Israel, and Israel obliges."
