New Hamas leader Abdel Aziz Rantisi branded US President George W. Bush as "an enemy of Muslims" in his fiery speech at a memorial service on Sunday for his slain predecessor, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin. 

Rantisi blasted the United States for consistently siding with the Israeli government.

On Thursday, Washington vetoed a United Nations (UN) Security Council draft resolution condemning the most recent extra-judicial execution committed by Israel that killed Yassin and calling for a complete end to such assassinations.

US Ambassador to the UN John Negroponte explained that his country opposed the resolution because it was "silent about the terrorist atrocities committed by Hamas" and "because it will not further the goals of peace and security in the region."

What he said was apparently not in conformity with the facts.

Expressing the council's grave concern at the continued deterioration of the situation in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, as a result of the escalation of violence and attacks, the draft explicitly condemned all terrorist attacks against any civilians as well as all acts of violence and destruction.

Moreover, it called on all sides to immediately undertake an unconditional cessation of acts of violence, including all acts of terrorism, provocation and incitement.

Negroponte said events must be considered in context and that the council "does nothing to contribute to a peaceful settlement when it condemns one party's actions and turns a blind eye to everything else occurring in the region."

What is the context of the current stalled Middle East peace process?

Sowing more seeds of hatred among Palestinians, Israel's assassination of Yassin has only inflamed tensions in the region, and dealt a hefty blow to efforts to resume progress toward peace, which is admitted even by the United States itself.

In a related provision, the council would have called for the end to all illegal measures and practices and for respect for and adherence to international humanitarian law. Both parties would have been called on to fulfill their obligations under the "roadmap" peace plan brokered by the UN, the United States, the European Union and Russia, and to work with the quartet to implement the blueprint, in order to achieve the vision of the two states living side-by-side in peace.

The US veto of the UN resolution condemning Israel's assassination sends the wrong message to Israel, whose representative spoke two days ago in the very UN chamber about the killings being committed by Hamas and vowed to continue the unlawful policy of extra-judicial killings.

Israel has said it reserves the right to kill any of the group's leaders at any time to protect itself against terrorist attacks.

It is crystal clear that the spiraling tit-for-tat vengeance or pre-emptive tactics, from both Israel and the United States, in the name of anti-terrorism will not make Israel nor the world any safer.

Worse, blatantly challenging the authority and credibility of the UN, the US veto appears to have snuffed out any say that the Security Council would have had about the terrible tragedy unfolding in that part of the world.

The war on terrorism, a global issue which was and still is supported by the international community, must be extinguished with a far-sighted vision.

The international community can no longer afford to overlook the underlying cause of terrorism.

Nations are deluding themselves if they think military force alone can defeat terrorism.

The UN, instead of any other power, should have the loudest say in the fight against any threat to international peace and security including terrorism.

(China Daily March 30, 2004)