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Muslim
States Split on Anti-Israel Action By Howard Schneider DOHA, Qatar, Nov. 13 –– Iraq wants to wage war on Israel. Turkey wants to maintain a military alliance with it. Iran reviles the United States. Jordan has tied its economy to it. United by religion, but encompassing extremes of wealth, culture and ideology, the 56 nations of the Organization of the Islamic Conference are meeting here to condemn what they see as Israel's slaughter of Palestinians over the last seven weeks, and to demand that areas of Jerusalem considered sacred to Islam be placed under full Muslim control. Yet moving from the high rhetoric that unites them to action that could influence Israeli policy is another issue. These are countries that have often conquered and colonized one another and that remain mired in border wars, ethnic turmoil and religious doctrinal fights. They include Iran and Iraq, which fought a 10-year war whose death toll dwarfed the casualties in all Arab-Israeli conflicts combined. They include Syria and Lebanon, which maintain a military relationship that some Lebanese feel amounts to an occupation of their country. They may, at this moment, all detest the people whom Iraqi President Saddam Hussein referred to in a speech delivered on his behalf here as "defiled Jews." Thirty years after the group was created in part to protect Muslim control of the faith's religious sites in Jerusalem, that fundamental issue remains unresolved. "Sadly, Muslim countries . . . watch helplessly as Israel continues with impunity and arrogance to kill innocent Palestinians," Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad told the gathering of heads of state representing the world's estimated 1 billion Muslims. But he did not suggest it would be easy to get united action against Israel. "Muslim countries are generally caught in their own quagmire of abject poverty and internal violence," he said. "There are more intra-Muslim conflicts within Muslim countries and between Muslim countries than there are between Muslims and their detractors." The leaders are due to release a harsh communique on Tuesday blaming the Israelis for nearly two months of daily violence. Last month, an Arab summit in Cairo reached a similar conclusion and called for action. In the days since that gathering, Tunisia, Morocco and most recently Qatar, which was under pressure as host of this week's meeting, have canceled low-level trade ties with Israel. Diplomatic sources in Egypt said it has halted almost all official contacts with Israel. So far, however, there is little indication that Israel has paid any attention, another sign of how little influence the countries can exert over a state that has tied its economic, military and cultural life largely to the United States and Europe. Moreover, countries that potentially could apply some of the strongest leverage, either against Israel or its patron the United States, often hold back. Saudi Arabia, for instance, has called for members of the Islamic Conference to sever relations with any country that moves its embassy to Jerusalem--a not-too-veiled warning, considering the United States' announced intention to do so. But it hasn't used its biggest weapon, raising the price of oil. Likewise, Egypt, the first Arab state to sign a peace treaty with Israel, has called for the Muslim countries to contribute $1 billion to help the Palestinians, money that could sustain the current uprising. But it hasn't broken off diplomatic relations with Israel. Nations such as Iran, Iraq or Sudan, one European diplomat noted, can offer "cost-free advice" for radical pressure. They have no ties with Israel, and few with the United States, and therefore nothing to lose. But for countries such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia, with close military and economic ties to Washington, applying strong pressure would carry a real price. Egypt receives nearly $1 billion annually in U.S. foreign aid, and both the Egyptians and the Saudis rely heavily on U.S. military assistance and arms. Despite rising Arab and Islamic anger over events in Israel, American jets patrolling Iraq continue to operate from a Saudi air base, reflecting the Saudi monarchy's priorities and continuing concern about its Arab neighbor. In this atmosphere, efforts to overcome some of the divisions among the Islamic states, such as encouraging Iraq and Kuwait to begin diplomatic discussions for the first time since the Persian Gulf War a decade ago, have foundered. Even the wording of the resolution on Israel required compromise. Egypt, Jordan and other moderate states overruled what Syria, Iran and others hoped would be unanimous support in favor of severing all Muslim ties with the Jewish state. "The anger in the public statements is to a large extent designed for a domestic audience," said one Western diplomat attending the conference. The goal is to appease "the angry factions at home. "We don't see unity here," the diplomat said. "We see division between the states that fan the flames and the ones who are very nervous about the situation getting out of control." © 2000 The Washington Post Company
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