Arab Perspective: An intentional slip of the tongue

The BBC's announcement of developing a future Arabic channel is welcomed by Tarek Al Hamid of Al Sharq Al Awsat (London).

He says, "I join my voice with other Arab writers who acknowledge this decision, provided we are told who will run this station … someone up to the responsibility."

Al Hamid says, "We [Middle Easterners] are getting bored of our current media which constantly blames America and the Jews for our problems."

The Arab world today, he says, suffers from a group of people who use double standards during their TV appearances.

"When they talk to CNN they say 'terrorist Osama' and when they appear on Al Jazeera, they say 'Shaikh Osama'." And then, there is the problem of "channels having double standards too, not just individuals".

Salama Ahmad Salama of Al Ahram (Egypt) says the BBC's announcement reveals "a coordinated international movement that aims to fill a political and cultural void which looms over this region".

This movement has picked up following the attacks of 9/11 in New York and 7/7 in London and there was a realisation on their part that direct communication with Middle Easterners is necessary.

Salama says, "The fact that BBC is entering the region with high standards of objectivity does not change the fact that it is funded by the UK government."

The BBC is aware that satellite channels such as Al Jazeera have become popular because they expose various political plans and goals, "even if they have caused embarrassment for some Arab and Western governments".

He concludes, "Ahlan to every ray of truth and objectivity, even if it comes from another planet".

Iran

Yassir Al Zaatra of Al Dustoor (Jordan) says Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was "answering to American and European pressures" using an intentional slip of the tongue that doesn't change Iran's official stance on Palestine.

He writes, "It is our duty to commend the Iranian president, son of the poor and guardian of the old revolutionary Iran, for his statements regardless of his goals … they have exposed the blind bias towards the Hebrew state by Arab and Western leaders."

The writer further adds that Israel's insistence on wiping out the Shiite political party does not stem "out of fear for the security of the Hebrew state [or that Hezbollah will try to liberate Shebaa farms]".

Instead, it comes out of the fear that "Hezbollah's missiles might be used if Israel considers military action against Iran because of its nuclear aspirations".

Sa'ad Mehio of Al Khaleej (UAE) asks, "Why did Ahmadinejad's statement towards Israel sound so foreign as if it came from another planet?"

He answers his own question: "It's probably because these perceptions are isolated and singular."

Mehio says, "These days the trend of wanting to destroy Israel is out".

Instead, the idea of wiping out from the map what is left of Palestine has become more popular.

And despite the glaring signs facing Washington, Brussels, Moscow and Beijing that establishing a viable Palestinian state is vital for peace and stability, these states have just one main goal: "to make eternal the life of the Jewish State".

And of course, this is only possible if the Palestinian entity is "no longer alive".

The main reason behind the Iranian president's outburst is attributed to domestic factors.

According to Mehio, Ahmadinejad became president after he succeeded in conveying promises of distributing the country's oil wealth, securing jobs, and increasing social assistance among other things.

Because all this currently stands as nothing more than promises, it is necessary for the presidency to "direct the energy of the youth towards an enemy that raises their feelings of guilt and even grants them an incentive for martyrdom".

Khalid Al Haroub of Al Sharq (Qatar) sheds a different light on Ahmadinejad's statement.

In pointing out the negative implications, Al Haroub argues that the Iranian president's "genius" declarations have caused major diplomatic losses for Iran, Palestine and Islam.

His statements against Israel, Al Haroub says, "have damaged the Palestinian cause in every measurable way".

In the short term, Ahmadinejad's rhetoric "has taken media attention away from Israeli aggression, which has been occurring in Gaza and the West Bank". In the long term, Iran has "mobilised and settled world solidarity with Israel, the 'poor' nation."

Al Haroub says the situation makes it appear as if all Arabs and Muslims want to wipe Israel off the map, not just the Iranian president.

Moreover, the Palestinians have already been forced to pay a heavy price for Western bias towards Israel, an inclination that rose partly "because of fear 'poor' Israel would be thrown into the sea" says Al Haroub.

Today, we go back to paying a heavy price for this verbal attack, and the Palestinian situation will get worse.

Al Haroub concludes, "In terms of assistance, nothing more than verbal jargon ever reaches Palestine. And Israel takes advantage of any extra support it gets".