Voices from the Arab press: Trump and Twitter need each other

A weekly selection of opinions and analyses from the Arab media around the world.

By MEDIA LINE
US PRESIDENT TRUMP is not one to hold back on Twitter. (photo credit: PIXABAY)
US PRESIDENT TRUMP is not one to hold back on Twitter.
(photo credit: PIXABAY)
TRUMP AND TWITTER NEED EACH OTHER
Al-Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, June 5
[US President Donald] Trump’s ascendance to power represents social and political processes that have been unfolding in America for over two centuries. The man has no history in policy-making, no appreciation of political norms and no respect for democratic institutions. His supporters are made up of lower-middle-class Americans who are closely tied to the Republican Party. In fewer than four years in office, Trump made over 18,000 lies on public record. Needless to say, he does not resemble any of the 44 presidents who preceded him.
His most recent public brawl has been with Twitter, a social media platform that has been fundamental to his campaign. Most of his decisions, ideas and worldviews are published through it, and from there disseminated to the rest of the world. Trump’s daily tweets have rendered Twitter one of the most important technological platforms of our time. But last week, Twitter marked two of Trump’s posts related to voter fraud as “unreliable” news sources. Retaliation came only a few short hours later when Trump announced his plan to remove protections from social media platforms in order to hold them liable for the content their users post.
The US president cannot legally change the code of conduct pertaining to social media platforms, as this action requires approval from Congress or the Federal Communications Commission. The only thing he can do is encourage officials who have executive powers to do what he wants. However, any move of this sort will likely lead to the collapse of social media companies.
Trump understands the importance of Twitter to his continued political success. More than 80 million users follow him on Twitter, allowing him to bypass traditional media channels and communicate with the public openly and freely. Trump without Twitter would become an ineffective politician, and Twitter without Trump’s support could go bankrupt.
Therefore, at least for now, the two warring parties will have to lay their weapons down and come to implicit understandings about the way forward. Otherwise, both of them will lose this war. – Badr bin Saud
AMERICAN AND ISRAELI LAND GRABS
Al-Ittihad, UAE, June 6
The Israeli government is free to annex 30% of West Bank lands, as long as it bets on three facts. The first is that the US does not oppose the move, despite recent leaks about the White House’s request to slow down the process. The second is the use of military force to crush Palestinian protests. The third is that the Arab and international reactions against Israel remain soft and hazy.
The irony of this situation is that those who might actually prevent this annexation are not peace activists but actually far-right Israelis who oppose the government’s plan under the pretext that it leaves “too much land” for the Palestinians. This group wants to kill the two-state solution at any cost, even if it means postponing a formal takeover of some lands. Perhaps even more ironic is that the existence of these extreme positions helps Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who all of a sudden seems like a moderate.
Yet it is clear to all observers that the question of annexation is used as a tool by both the Israeli prime minister and the American president to wield domestic political influence at home and weaken their opponents.
What is certain is that for the first time in the history of Israeli-American relations, support for Israel is no longer a bipartisan issue, with Democrats increasingly taking critical positions toward their longtime ally, and Republicans harshening their tone against the Palestinians.
There is no doubt that the changes within America – including the coronavirus, the economic crisis resulting from it, and the social unrest that has taken over the country – make Israel a lesser priority in American eyes.
But Netanyahu wants to seize the current moment and reap its political gains while dealing with its repercussions later, regardless of who is sitting in the White House.
The world’s unwillingness to address the dangerous plan to annex Palestinian territories has brought to the fore what Washington has been ignoring all along – namely, that the US peace plan is politically, humanly and geographically unbalanced, offering the Palestinian people a few billion dollars in exchange for an unjust solution on the ground. – Abdul Wahab Badrakhan
AMERICA: A HISTORY OF RACISM AND HATRED
Al-Jazirah, Saudi Arabia, June 5
The demonstrations taking place in America today after the killing of a black citizen by a white policeman are not new. They were preceded by hundreds of racist incidents throughout the years. America’s ethnic composition has been a fragile and complex one ever since the nation’s founding fathers, who were European settlers, brought Africans to America as slaves.
Throughout America’s history, there have always been political leaders who fought for black emancipation, including notable figures like Malcolm X, who grew up in a hideously racist environment fueled by white supremacy. His family was subjected to beating, torture and killing. These incidents affected the young Malcom X, who turned to crime and found himself in prison. In prison, Malcolm was introduced to members of the Nation of Islam, founded by Elijah Muhammad, and turned into a true fighter.
Malcolm X was extremely intelligent. He had a strong and captivating personality and the ability to fluently speak to large crowds. After his release from prison, he fought for the rights of his people and gained quick popularity. He also traveled to the Middle East, visited the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, met King Faisal – may God have mercy on him – and then completed his pilgrimage to Mecca. He returned to the US to continue his struggle, but America could not bear his political message. Malcom X was shot and killed while delivering a speech in New York City. He died when he was not yet 40 years old, but he left a strong legacy in the black liberation movement.
Historians are unanimous about his great role in this regard along with Dr. Martin Luther King. While the two men were contradictory in style, they both sought one goal: the Black and White Equality Act, signed by President Lyndon Johnson in 1968.
But did the issue of racism in American end with that legislation? The answer, my friends, can apparently be seen before you today on every television channel you open. Malcolm X’s struggle still endures. – Ahmad al-Farraj
Translated by Asaf Zilberfarb.