The bodies of the three Israeli colonists were found on Monday near Hebron. The deaths of the colonists and potential aggressive Israeli response were the topics that dominated headlines in the region’s daily newspapers
Qatar’s Al Raya said that Israel does not even need to use the deaths of the three colonists as a pretext for waging a war against the Palestinians. The paper said that Israel, since its inception, has been committing terrible crimes against Palestinians and Arabs, such as the Deir Yassin massacre, the actions during the first and second intifadas and war of aggression against Gaza.
Israel is getting ready for new acts of aggression against the Palestinians, which will occur during Ramadan. Its aggression has been preceded by the random series of arrests, as it tightens the noose on the Palestinians. The world must intervene to save the lives of Palestinians and stop the Israeli war-machine whose wheels are beginning to roll once again. Tel Aviv must not be allowed to carry out these crimes amidst the international community and United Nations Security Council’s inability to compel it to abide by international resolutions that stipulate the establishment of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.
Palestine’s Al Quds newspaper said the death of the three colonists will only lead to an escalation in the violence. The paper said observers have stressed that an escalation, unlike any seen before, will occur, which will probably result in Israel waging an all-out war against Gaza, including possible assassinations of leading Hamas officials, and whoever Israel deems as being directly or indirectly involved in the deaths of the three colonists.
Possible repercussions
Israel’s efforts will also intensify against the already struggling reconciliation agreement between Fatah and Hamas. It will reiterate that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has entered into an agreement with an organisation that does not believe in peace, but rather in murder, as depicted by the abduction and killing of the three colonists. The possible repercussions of this Israeli response will be very dangerous for Palestine and there is a need for a diplomatic movement at all levels in order to minimise the potential results of an Israeli military retaliation.
Oman’s Al Watan said in an editorial that the kidnapping and killing of the three colonists is an Israeli ploy orchestrated by the Mossad and the Shin Bet. The paper said that the abduction was an Israeli colonial project with strategic dimensions.
Little to gain
Israel has exploited the disappearance of these colonists, which it described as an ‘abduction’, as it conducts acts of terrorism and collective punishment against the Palestinians. Israel persists on foiling the reconciliation agreement signed recently between Hamas and Fatah. After realising that it had little to gain from abducted colonists who were alive, it announced to the world that it had found their bodies. This gives Israel the perfect reason to finish off Hamas and weaken the Palestinian National Authority.
The editorial reminds us that Israel is back to committing the same mistakes, sowing the seeds for future crises and ensuring that the peace process lacks substance and is not successful.
