‘Ugly face of American policy towards Arabs’

Sunday’s terrorist attack was one more occasion for the Jordanian people to demonstrate their unity and trust in their leadership and security forces, said the Jordan Times.

“Jordan has been effectively fighting terrorism for years, individually as well as alongside allies in an international coalition. Its greatest success has been to safeguard its internal front, the cohesion of its people, as well as its stability and security. These achievements do not please terrorist groups who will, no doubt, continue to target the country and its allies, as no place around the world proved to be immune from the danger of terrorism. But to their disappointment, the Jordanian people get more cohesive at times of hardship, when their country is targeted. This was the case on Sunday.”

The attack in Karak reflects regional motives that are strongly linked to the Syrian crisis, particularly the current situation in Aleppo which left many people in Arab world feeling helpless, said the London-based Pan-Arab paper Al Quds Al Arabi.

“What happened in Jordan can be seen as a reaction that could have occurred in any other Arab city. This incident is not the first of its kind in Jordan. There were other terrorist attacks linked to the Syrian crisis that were perpetrated by armed groups in Jordan, such as the one that took place in the Syrian-Jordanian borders 24 hours before the attack in Karak. It seems that a tourist destination was targeted in order to garner as much attention as possible and to attract media coverage that reveals the anger of the people, but that is not the response desired by Jordanians and Arabs, who want a response that is effective on a regional level.”

Friedman’s appointment

The appointment of David Friedman (above) signifies the US’s ill intent towards the Palestinian state and people, said the UAE’s Al Khaleej. “The appointment is a harbinger of more Israeli aggression, racism and colonisation. In a statement regarding Friedman’s appointment, the organisation J Street, which describes itself as pro-Israeli and pro-peace, said, ‘his nomination is reckless, putting America’s reputation in the region and credibility around the world at risk’. We are witnessing a qualitative shift in the US stance towards the Palestinian issue. It is true that past US administrations did nothing to fulfil promises in establishing an independent Palestinian state and never wavered in supporting Israeli policies. However, this new US administration is blatant in its hostility to Palestinians and Arabs ...”

The appointment of Friedman as America’s ambassador to Israel marks the coup de grace for any peaceful and just settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli problem, said Lebanon’s Daily Star. “The Palestinians’ anger, frustration and disappointment is a matter of fact, but the announcement has also drawn strong criticism from liberal Jewish groups, which describes the move as reckless, citing Friedman’s support for colonies and his questioning of a two-state solution. In the final analysis, this reveals the ugly face of American policy towards Arabs in general and Palestinians in particular, with Friedman not only showing staunch support for biased policies but going further, with intentions that surpass even Trump’s ...”