Commenting on the difficult times being faced by the Palestinians, the Oman Tribune noted that they are getting more and more frustrated with each passing day at the lack of even an iota of progress towards statehood, which is supported by a vast majority in the international community ... “But support of the international community has no weight as long as the Americans play Israel’s foul game. And there is no sign of the Americans changing their stance in the near future. At the same time, the Palestinians may be looking for new ways to achieve their goal. One of them could be to start the third Intifada. The synagogue attack may be pointing in that direction.”
In its take on the issue, the Jordan Times said that it was doubtful the Palestinians who attacked the synagogue in occupied Jerusalem last week were driven by religious motives. “It would be more correct to say that the attackers were politically motivated and their acts stemmed from pent-up anger and frustration with Israel, and not with Judaism. Having been denied freedom and an independent state for well over six decades, during which they suffered a ruthless occupation, Palestinians are driven to desperation. And after the repeated violations and threats to Al Aqsa Mosque ... the synagogue attack might be seen by some as an attempt to give Israelis a taste of their own medicine.”
Addressing Arabs, Muslims and the international community, Palestine’s Al Quds newspaper said that it was time for them to shoulder their responsibility towards Palestine and its people. “This will help avoid the cycle of violence and bloodletting that the Jewish extremists are pushing for, which is also part of the dangerous and absurd policies of the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. It is time for the world to realise that our people will never surrender, and will cling on to their rights to live and be free. And so they will continue their just struggle to end this repulsive occupation.”
In its editorial on Tunisia, Qatar’s Al Sharq said that the most important lesson the country had provided to the region was to put public interests before self interests. “Tunisia also showed the importance of national consensus during the transitional period, regardless of electoral or political weight. Every prominent political leader prioritised the process of democracy over narrow partisan gains or minor personal victories. What the world is witnessing today is a victory for the free will of the Tunisian people and the values of the revolution, which placed the people’s word above all else.”
Tunisia’s Al Chourouk newspaper said that the fact that polling stations closed without anything upsetting the electoral process across the country means that Tunisia had won. “We must keep moving forward. Tunisia is taking steps towards the future, a future that is for the first time ever chosen by its citizens.”
Commenting on the elections in Tunisia, the UAE’s Al Bayan said: “The polling stations remain the ideal solution for driving Tunisia towards a new phase in its history and enhancing the country’s stability, which some are striving to disrupt in order to serve the interests of regional or international parties that do not care about the interests of Tunisians.”
