In an attempt to dodge yet another scandal, both Ariel Sharon and his right-wing hawks have perused their well-known "diversion" policy. Sharon has desperately tried to divert media scrutiny from the scandals surrounding him and his two sons using any means possible, including picking a diplomatic fight with Britain and highlighting Israeli delegation talks with the Americans on a 12-billion dollar "aid" package that Congress will not consider until several months later.

Israel has barred a high-ranking Palestinian delegation from attending a conference to be hosted by Great Britain on January 14th with the imputed blessings of the United States. Britain had envisioned the Middle East meeting as an occasion for representatives of the so-called quartet - the United States, the United Nations, the European Union and Russia - to discuss reform of the Palestinian Authority with the visiting Palestinians and to help Palestinians prepare for implementation of the road-map leading to statehood. Silencing the conference on reform seems to be at least partly aimed at redirecting the attention of the Israeli media from the scandals which are bringing down the Likud's popularity from 40 expected seats in the Knesset to 30 or less.

The scandal dubbed "Sharongate" focuses on funding irregularities in Sharon's 1999 Likud elections campaign and includes allegations that Sharon received a $1.5 million illicit loan from a South African businessman named Cyril Kern. The money was deposited in a joint account held by Sharon's two sons, Omri and Gilad. This scandal comes only days after Omri had been accused of buying votes in the Likud primary elections in yet another scandal leading the police to open a full investigation into Sharon's involvement.

A diplomatic spat with Great Britain seems to be just what Sharon wants. Sharon was urged by Tony Blair to allow the Palestinian delegation to attend the conference on reform, but this request was denied. The United States also 'urged' Israel to allow the Palestinians to attend, but did not publicly put pressure on Israel to comply. In a telephone conversation, both Israeli and British Foreign Ministers Netanyahu and Straw accused each other of creating a situation not conducive to peace. Defying the Israeli decision, the British have decided to convene the conference as planned with the active participation of the Palestinian delegation through video linkup, a method Palestinian officials have become accustomed to. It seems the organization of this conference has given Britain a little taste of the difficulties Palestinians face under occupation.

The situation is nothing short of a political crisis between Great Britain and Israel as their diplomatic ties continue to be increasingly strained, with Tony Blair inviting Labor opposition leader Amram Mitzna' to meet with him in the UK, having recently refused to meet with hawkish right winger Netanyahu. The UK has been pushing for renewed political dialogue between the Israelis and the Palestinians and has shown a greater commitment to resolving the conflict than the US. Perhaps though what is needed is for the UK to lead the European Union, which is able to exert far more pressure on Israel, towards an increased involvement in the region, given the Bush administration's inertia.