The ongoing Qatari crisis and the Palestinian-Israeli issue were the two topics that captured the attention of papers in the region.
Qatar played a key role in spilling the blood of people in many Arab nations, harnessing its money and Al Jazeera channel to kick off a bloody spring in those countries, said the UAE’s Al Bayan.
‘The result of that ‘spring’ is what we see today, the death and displacement of millions, in addition to the financial costs of this chaos, the prevailing state of hatred and fighting and the rise of terrorism in all those countries. The way Qatar incited chaos, and supported the said chaos through all means possible, has led to dire results. One can simply say that the blood of millions is on Qatar’s hands. Qatar thought that through its methods it can end up leading the Arab people, but it ended up leading them to their deaths.”
If Qatar stops financing terrorism, then that would mean the beginning of the end for this terrible phenomenon, said Saudi Arabia’s Al Yaum.
“Backing terrorism through funds is bothersome, not just for the Gulf and Arab countries, but it also harms the interests of all nations around the world. This means that if Doha does not stop supporting terrorism, then the acts of terror that are still occurring in different parts of the world will still happen. A majority of countries around the world bemoan Qatar’s approach to support terrorism with funds. Supporting terror does not serve Qatar’s interests, or those of countries that love peace, stability and freedom. The US, Arab, Islamic and international warnings must be heeded by Doha, so that it can return to reason and stop supporting terror, or it will be isolated even further and the situation will grow worse.”
The colonies’ expansion, illegal under international law, is a snub to US President Donald Trump, who had told Israel to hold back on such projects as he seeks ways to restart peace efforts, wrote the Jordan Times.
“The latest declared expansion brings the number of colonies to 7,721, almost triple the 2016 numbers. More than 600,000 Israelis live in colonies in the West Bank, including in annexed East Jerusalem, amid some three million Palestinians. Rhetorical condemnation or criticism of Israel’s unlawful behaviour is of little comfort to Palestinians unless backed by action. The law exists, resolutions have been passed by the mighty institution designated to solve international disputes, Israel’s acts are definitely illegal; all that is needed is the world’s backbone and determination to tackle the issue, put an end to a cruel occupation and help justice prevail.”
The call of Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to dismantle the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) further exposes the ugly face of Israeli policies, said Lebanon’s Daily Star.
“Emboldened by Trump’s rise to power, the disarray in Arab states and after getting away with new colonies on grabbed Arab land, Netanyahu has ventured into territory all his predecessors avoided despite their hard-line policies. UNRWA, which despite its shortcomings, has for 70 years worked to ease some of the burden on Palestinians who were kicked out of their country. Even Israeli human rights groups, which usually criticise Netanyahu’s measures against the Palestinians, have been the target of his aggressive attitude at a time when he has sought to ban foreign funding of such NGOs. The Palestinians, Arabs and the international community should brace themselves for an escalation of belligerent measures by Netanyahu and his cabinet to force new facts on the ground in a bid to end the two-state solution.”
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