White House adviser Jared Kushner’s visit to the region to revive Palestinian-Israeli peace talks and the reinstatement of Qatar’s Ambassador to Iran were the topics discussed this week in the region’s papers.
Available accounts show that Kushner arrived to and left the region empty handed, pointed out the Jordan Times.
“Donald Trump, President of the US, said he wanted a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but similar commitments were made by many of his predecessors over the past half a century, with nothing to show for. It is not promises expressed in general terms, but specific roadmap, timetable and outcome which are needed for any peace talks to start off on the right foot. If Trump wishes to make a real difference, he should ask his administration to come up with specifics and clear thoughts about a solution to this crucial Middle East problem. Anything else would only prolong the agony of the Palestinians and deepen the radicalisation of the sides involved and others who use the Palestinian problem as an excuse for their misguided acts.
The Kushner trip could actually be considered something of a success if the US manages to identify an approach that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu do not dismiss out of hand, said the Saudi Gazette.
“The problem is that the parties are long past this point. By now, they should have been at the end stage, not the beginning. If the US administration needs to make its plans known soon, as is often reported, that goes double for Israel. It may be that the recent violence at Al Haram Al Sharif has accelerated the administration’s timetable and its desire to try to get something going before violence breaks out again. The thinking is logical but time is running short. This is Kushner’s third trip to the region in four months. This latest official visit is an indication of Trump’s interest in achieving an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal. But another trip or two without producing concrete results will erode more of Kushner’s credibility on this issue.”
It seems Qatar has chosen the path of no return as it continues to persist with its hostility and conspiracies against its Arab neighbours, wrote the UAE’s Al Bayan.
“Qatar is taking actions which prove that everything said about it is true, as it strives to normalise relations with Iran. Reinstating its envoy in Iran is reckless and meaningless, as Qatar chose the wrong path at the wrong time, as if it is declaring its determination to continue with its policies of supporting terrorism, destruction and conspiracies. Qatar should not have taken such a step during such a critical time, particularly not when Chad had recently announced that it is shutting down the Qatar’s Embassy. While the Qatari regime is dispatching its ambassador to the enemies of Arabs, it is also receiving its dismissed ambassadors from African countries.”
The truth is, whether Qatar has an ambassador in Tehran or not and whether Tehran has an ambassador in Doha or not, the two countries’ pursuit to preserve balanced ties, even during the worst times in the region, has not stopped, noted the London-based Pan-Arab paper Asharq Al Awsat.
“The new chapter in the Qatari alliance with Iran is that it is taking place directly, clearly and frankly. It is therefore proving right the four countries that have boycotted Doha. How can we possibly believe Doha’s trick of withdrawing its ambassador from Tehran when a major security agreement between the two sides still stands. Saudi Arabia and the Gulf countries are not losing much in Qatar’s clear and open leaning towards the Persian bank of the Arab Gulf. Its stance may be provocative as Iran is the spearhead of global terrorism and an alliance with it will put Qatar in the same boat.”
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