A weekly selection of opinions and analyses from the Arab media around the world.
By COMPILEDTHE MEDIA LINEEGYPTIAN SOLDIERS watch over worshipers outside Al Rawdah mosque earlier this month after the deadly November 24 terrorist attack in Bir Al-Abed, Egypt(photo credit: MOHAMED ABD EL GHANY/REUTERS)DANGEROUS WINDS BLOWING FROM WASHINGTON Al-Ayaam, Ramallah, November 28“The winds blowing from Washington regarding the Palestinian issue are particularly concerning.“The ideas proposed by senior American officials are reminiscent of old Israeli frameworks, which aimed to redefine the term “sovereignty” instead of establishing for the Palestinians a state of their own. This is unsurprising, as the members of the White House’s Middle East team are American Jews loyal to Israel. The agenda they are following involves the formation of a semi-autonomous state for the Palestinians – one that legalizes Israeli settlements and allows the occupation to continue – while preventing the Palestinians from achieving their national goals.“The strategy is threefold: first, to promote a solution that will fall short of creating a fully independent Palestinian country; second, to provide Israel with as much leeway as possible to continue expanding settlements, which create additional ‘facts on the ground’; and finally, to incorporate the Israeli-Palestinian peace initiative into a wider reconciliation process between Israel and the Arab world. Thus, the American plan offers no promise for the Palestinians. In essence, it would allow them to symbolically declare independence while failing to actually change anything.“This idea is so outdated, having been proposed during the Israeli-Egyptian peace talks in the 1970s. Given the severity of the situation, it is time for the Palestinian leadership to come up with a clear strategy to counter such an eventuality. The PLO cannot depend on the good graces of its Arab neighbors or the good intentions of the American team. It must take unilateral action, on the ground, before it’s too late.”– Ahmed Jamil Azzem A FAKE PALESTINIAN RECONCILIATION Al-Okaz, Saudi Arabia, November 29“The citizens of the Gaza Strip have been rejoicing over the prospect of Palestinian reconciliation, following the signing of the October 12, 2017, unity agreement between Fatah and Hamas.“The coming together of the two Palestinian factions gave hope that the horrific siege over the Strip would finally be lifted, enabling economic opportunities to again be restored, and for international sanctions on Gaza to be lifted. However, the euphoria that initially swept through the Palestinian street has disappeared. Gazans quickly realized that reconciliation on paper does not necessarily translate into reconciliation on the ground. In fact, Fatah and Hamas do not see eye to eye with each other; therefore, we must not delude ourselves or others. The fact that the two factions have ostensibly agreed to end their rivalry does not mean they have embraced mutual coexistence or even basic cooperation.“Before the PLO takes control of Gaza it is demanding that Hamas and all other groups disarm. This is something that Hamas is unwilling to accept, as it would entail the de facto end of the Palestinian resistance movement. The PLO, meanwhile, remains adamant, with the Fatah leadership claiming that the United States will otherwise not support the reconciliation process. Recent American threats, such as to permanently close the Palestinian diplomatic mission in Washington, have lent credence to this assertion.“But there is a miscalculation regarding Hamas, as it will sacrifice Palestinian unity in favor of maintaining its armed brigades, weapons caches and military installations. Accordingly, at the end of the day, we will be left with nothing more than a reconciliation document that has very little impact on our lives. The ultimate victims, once again, will be the Palestinian people.”– Mustafa al-Dawi EGYPT’S LEADERSHIP MUST REEXAMINE MISPLACED PRIORITIES Al Jazeera, Qatar, November 28“Over 300 worshipers were killed in the horrific attack recently carried out at the al-Rawda mosque in the Sinai Peninsula, and Egyptian authorities have responded: by targeting innocent civilians.“Shortly after news of the death toll broke, the Egyptian Secret Service arrested a notable member of the April 6 Movement, a peaceful youth organization that was active during the 2011 revolution. Later that evening, a wellknown Egyptian news website, Al-Masryoun, was removed from the Web at the behest of the government.“This would be funny if it weren’t so sad – how pathetic it is that the Egyptian leadership, on the day of the deadliest-ever attack on the country, chose to cause division within society and spew hatred instead of uniting the people.A basic principle of any successful battle against terrorism is to unite the public against the common enemy, thereby eliminating support that such an enemy might enjoy. The Egyptian nation has stood by its leadership in this fight, only to see the real threat minimized and weapons turned on the public.“We must understand that terrorism can never be overcome with guns alone; rather, it is also a battle over the hearts and minds of people. It is as much a psychological war as a physical one. The Egyptian government would be wise to internalize this simple truth and embrace the public in order to forge national unity, with the aim of pushing Egypt forward. Instead, Cairo is wreaking havoc on its own people, weakening them at the expense of fighting terrorist organizations. The government must reexamine its misplaced priorities!”– Gamal SultanA CROWN PRINCE’S MISUNDERSTOOD REMARKS ON IRAN Asharq al-Awsat, London, November 30“Last week, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman gave an interview to The New York Times in which he called the Iranian supreme leader ‘the new Hitler of the Middle East.’ A backlash quickly ensued, with many commentators accusing the prince of making a flawed, if not abhorrent, comparison. However, allow me to take a less popular stance and defend the point bin Salman was trying to make.“In referring to Sayyid Ali Hosseini Khamenei in this manner, the future Saudi leader was suggesting that Iran maintains an expansionist ideology that squashes everything standing in its way. Much like Adolf Hitler wanted to increase the size of Germany at the expense of its neighbors, so too Tehran seeks to take over portions of the Middle East. This adventurism has resulted in thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of deaths, yet Khamenei has not shed a single tear.“Committed to his own radical ideology, the Iranian supreme leader has continued guiding Iran on this path. The Islamic Republic’s involvement in Syria, for example, is simply indefensible, as the two countries do not share a single border! The reason for Iran’s involvement in the war is born out of a desire to increase its own power while capturing more land and resources. Tehran has often cited ‘security concerns’ for its actions, just like Hitler did when taking over Poland and France. The mullahs, just like the leaders of Germany in the 1930s, are fascist and totalitarian. As such, Iran will not stop with Syria and Iraq. It will continue to spread into the Gulf, destroying everything along the way.“Just as Hitler’s appetite was never satisfied, Iran’s thirst to expand will never be quenched. Iran and Nazi Germany have much in common – both have little regard for human life and are driven by a desire to control the world.”– Abd al-Rahman al-Rashed
