The “Doha Summit”—the summit of all summits—was by the testimony of everyone who attended it (and even those who did not!) the best Arab summit in the entire history of Arab summits. It was also praised by all Arab peoples and by the free voices of the world who had grown weary of endless condemnations, hollow rhetoric, and meaningless words that neither nourish nor satisfy.

Ironically, one of the main reasons for the summit’s success was that it took place outside the umbrella of the Arab League—a league that can no longer even cover Amr Moussa himself, so how could it possibly shelter all Arabs? Another reason for its success was the absence of the so-called “moderate states”—pardon me, I mean the “states of betrayal”—who were not there to sabotage it as they had consistently done in previous summits for decades.

It seems that Israel and Bush miscalculated badly—as they always do—when they prevented those leaders from attending the summit, hoping thereby to strip it of the word “summit.” Yet in reality, its deeds, not its name, made it one. They forgot—as they always forget—that history judges every action by its impact, not by the label attached to it.

The Arab League was originally founded to support the member states and to lift oppression from them when it fell upon them. But if this league itself has become a burden upon those very states; if it has only added to their crises, and has become an important tool to pressure the weak and corner them; if it has proven incapable of defending them and standing by them in their hour of need—then we must have the courage to announce its death.

When the blood of the Venezuelan president carries more Arab dignity than that of some of our so-called Arab leaders…
When the Iranian president sacrifices himself for the defense of Palestinian rights more than President Abbas himself…
When President Mubarak insists on keeping the crossings closed, blames Hamas for the crisis, and persists in strangling the entire people of Gaza…
When some of our Arab leaders insist on a “mutual ceasefire,” thus equating Israel with Hamas…
When… when… when we see and hear everything we see and hear every single day…

Is there anyone who still thinks we are mistaken in declaring the death of the Arab League?
I truly hope we are mistaken.

Eng. Hassan Dalati
2009-01-17