Hot off the Arab press 476868

WHAT ABOUT THE GOLAN? Al-Araby al-Jadid, London, December 22 Just a few days ago, Israel's former cabinet secretary Zvi Hauser appeared on Israeli television and spoke about the current situation in Syria. He suggested that the time has finally come for the international community to recognize Israel's authority over the Golan Heights. This, he explained, could be one way for the United States to placate Israel for signing the Iranian nuclear deal. Surely, Israelis have been trying to assert their sovereignty over the occupied territories for many years. Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman recently attempted to obtain a renewed American guarantee for the preservation of major settlement blocs in the case of an Israeli withdrawal to the 1967 lines, similarly to the letter sent by US president George W. Bush to Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon in 2004. The situation on the ground changed not only on the Syrian side, but also on the Israeli one. In 1996, during his first term, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu conducted secret negotiations with Syrian president Hafez Assad over the Golan Heights, and reportedly agreed to relinquish the territory in exchange for a peace treaty with Syria. He eventually backed off from his offer. Today, Netanyahu's government is doing whatever it possibly can to assert Israeli sovereignty over the very same land, without negotiating its future. This is his strategy for the West Bank too. When we talk about the territories occupied by Israel in 1967, we often talk about the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Rarely do we mention the Golan Heights. However, the future of all three territories is directly linked. We must not let the chaos in Syria deflect our attention. The Golan Heights still matter. – Antwan Shalchat EGYPTIAN-SAUDI RELATIONS DERAILED Al-Nahar, Lebanon, December 21 Leading Egyptian websites associated with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's government lashed harsh criticism against Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz. The websites presented a photo of the king with the title “His Majesty the Traitor,” accusing Riyadh of turning its back and forsaking its alliance with Cairo. Tensions between the two countries broke out in April, when the Egyptian representative to the Security Council voted together with Russia against a Saudi proposal. Shortly thereafter, Saudi Arabia halted all of its oil exports to Egypt and threatened to cut its foreign aid program in the country. While the two countries have since been going at each other back and forth, this week marks the greatest escalation of these tensions. A high-ranking Saudi delegation, news reports have revealed, visited Ethiopia last week, to offer Saudi assistance in the Renaissance Dam project. This project is, of course, a huge source of concern for Egypt, since it will divert most of the freshwater flowing into the Nile River. The repercussions of this project could be colossal for Egypt and its economy, and the fact that the Saudis are now involved with it is very disconcerting. It is unclear where the relations between the two countries – once close allies – will head next. Egypt has already threatened to warm its ties with Russia and Iran on the Syrian front, or even assist the Houthi rebels fighting against Saudi Arabia. However, the escalation of tensions is in both countries' worst interest. Sisi and King Salman must overcome their pride and arrogance and work to resolve their disputes. The region is already falling apart. The last thing we need is yet another source of strife between two close allies. – Ghassan Hejar LESSONS FROM THE FALL OF ALEPPO Al-Jazeera, Qatar, December 19 The fall of Aleppo into the hands of the Syrian army marks an important achievement for Bashar Assad's regime. A withdrawal agreement allowed a few thousand citizens of the besieged city to evacuate, leaving thousands of others caught in the heavy battles that soon ensued. But what is most surprising is how long it took for the city to fall – the steadfastness of its inhabitants, the courage of the rebels fighting for its defense, and the determination of ordinary Syrian civilians to fight for their country. The Syrian Civil War is not an ordinary civil war. Both the domestic and international conditions in which it unfolded stood in absolute detriment to the revolutionaries' cause. What started out as a mass uprising was soon met with brutal force and oppression at the hands of the regime. Furthermore, the international community simply turned its back to the Syrian people. Yes, some countries armed rebel groups inside Syria. But they failed to understand that without one unified rebel leadership the revolution would never be successful. The Syrian people now found themselves caught not only in the crossfire between Assad's loyalists and opponents, but also in the selfish wars of competing rebel groups, fighting using foreign armaments. Then came the Russian intervention, the Iranian involvement, and the American empty promises to act if Assad crossed a “red line.” All of these factors further complicated the sticky situation on the ground, making the rebels' cause practically impossible to achieve. For over four years, the people of Aleppo fought for their survival. They fought for their city, their country, and the entire Arab world. Will we learn their lesson and act, or will we stand idly by as one Syrian city after another falls into the hands of the regime? – Muhammad Mukhtar al-Shankiti FUNDAMENTAL ERRORS AT THE UN Al-Shorouq, Egypt, December 24 Egyptian diplomacy suffered a great blow last week, after our delegation at the United Nations' Security Council submitted, but later rescinded, a draft resolution against Israel's settlement activity in the occupied territories. Egypt's fundamental error was its failure to foresee the reaction of President-elect Donald Trump. Once again, our diplomats acted hastily, without taking time to assess the outcomes of their actions. Not a single person doubts Egypt's intentions with regard to the Palestinian matter. Cairo wants to see an independent Palestinian state thriving and flourishing in the Middle East. It is for this reason that Egyptian officials submitted the draft proposal last week, on behalf of all Arab states and the entire Arab League. What the Egyptian delegation did not take into account, however, are two main things. First, is that Cairo will enter into a problem with Israel, which has been closely collaborating with Egyptian forces against the terrorist infrastructure in northern Sinai. The second, and more important factor, is Trump's rejection of the resolution and the pressure placed by his team on President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to refrain from submitting the draft. If our diplomats predicted these reactions then we could have avoided the problem to begin with. Egypt could have, perhaps, allowed another country to submit the draft, and then voted together with the other Security Council members in favor of the resolution. What ended up happening in New York was a complete embarrassment to our diplomatic establishment, and a public dismissal of our sovereignty as a state. Egypt was portrayed as a weak political player; one which cannot even stand in defense of its Palestinian brothers and sisters. The only piece of good news from this weekend is that the resolution finally passed, thanks to the United State's abstention. Make no mistake: UN Security Council Resolution 2334 is merely symbolic. But this is an important first step toward a Palestinian state. – Emad al-Din Hussein

Hot off the Arab press 476868

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