Monday, August 13, 2007

UK reputation in the Middle East

The UK's reputation was damaged when the government hesitated in calling for an immediate end to the Lebanon war last year, MPs have said.

UK is a permanent member of the UN Security Council. It is a major diplomatic and economic player in the Middle East. Historically, it was behind its current map. Under its occupation the majority of the Middle East states came to exist, including Israel.

The UK should have more positive involvement in this region. It still has a moral duty to participate in resolving the current tensions, especially between Israel and its opponents like Hamas and Hezbullah. Israel has the right to exist, but it shouldn’t exaggerate its actions against its opponents like Hamas to the point of starving them because it is assured of the support of countries like UK who mainly fall short of condemning its military actions and rarely come to express regret.

Siding with one party and ignoring or acting against the others will just perpetuate the tensions even longer. Ignoring the reality of the region will just make things worse for all sides, friends and foes.

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