Once again we find ourselves at a period in which Israel is actually being criticized for a change. Israel is enduring being criticized by locals, such as ex-Shin Bet heads and the leftist Israeli parties, world powers, movers and shakers, including the US President and Secretary of State as well as the European Union as a whole. Israel is also being criticized by the masses through general assembly resolutions condemning the colonization wall being constructed on occupied land and an EU opinion poll in which 59% of EU citizens viewed Israel as “a major threat to peace in the world.”

Today Sharon, Israel’s bulldozer and champion of Arab-hating Israeli settlers, is speaking of a unilateral initiative parallel to the ‘roadmap’ in order to silence the local criticism and abate the pressure he has fallen under. Dubbing Israel’s policies as "contrary to the desire for peace," Sharon said, "we must once and for all admit there is another side, that it has feelings, that it is suffering and that we are behaving disgracefully... this entire behavior is the result of the occupation." Yet according to the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz, “the Prime Minister is less concerned about American criticisms regarding the separation fence, the settlements, the outposts and the roadblocks. He knows that the Bush administration is gearing up for elections in 2004, which makes this an inconvenient time to pressure Israel.”

Only internal criticism along with a campaign by the Israeli peace movements, academia and intelligence aimed at uncovering the truth and injustice behind the occupation to their citizens will Israelis be able to draw well-informed conclusions free of Sharon's spin. The Israeli public needs to wake up and smell the coffee, for they are after all an occupying military force with no respect to human rights or international laws. Outside criticism no matter how sharp has proven to be useless for the Europeans are simply non-confrontational, while the US continues to bend rules and change expectations in order to appease and reserve this exclusively Jewish “democracy.”

This week has witnessed what some might view as momentum for peace and others might view as an excuse to once and for all assure their can never be peace. It really depends on the readiness of the oppressor to truly seek justice and therefore achieve peace.

A UN resolution was unanimously passed on Wednesday adopting the ‘road map’ for peace. This resolution sent echoes of criticism towards Israel, a country which claims to have “accepted” the ‘road map’ subject to 14 ‘reservations’ on the internationally drafted and now endorsed plan. Ehud Olmert, Deputy Prime Minister of Israel, was quoted as saying “Israel does not feel that it is bound by the resolution.” Again Israel is a state above all laws and resolutions passed by the international community or others for that matter.

Even George Bush has shown a growing understanding of the true obstacles standing in the way of peace as he criticized Israel on Wednesday calling on them "to freeze settlement construction, dismantle unauthorized outposts, end the daily humiliation of the Palestinian people and not prejudice final negotiations with the placement of walls and fences." This criticism was answered by Israel’s Infrastructure Ministry which invited tenders and gave permission for the construction of 323 new “apartments” on privately owned Palestinian land in the West Bank.

Don’t count these criticisms as a victory for the Palestinians, who are well aware of the partiess holding the key to peace and what intentions they have. Israel is the one and only country capable and able to achieve peace. Yet, Israel and its immigrant citizens will never truly seek justice and peace until they acknowledge the suffering of the Palestinians caused by the Zionist movement and the ongoing military occupation of the natives.

If the international community feels it is time for action then it should take action. A supremacist country, defying all rules and resolutions passed by the international community, should face an international campaign similar to that which brought an end to apartheid and saw freedom delivered to the indigenous people of South Africa. The recent criticism is nice, but it only sets the Palestinians up for another fall as the occupation, settlement construction, apartheid wall construction and destruction of Palestinian lives continues and from the inside paints a image of hopelessness for the Palestinians.