A roundup of commentary from Arab newspapers August 29.
Nasrallah's act of moral courage
Bahrain's Akhbar Al Khaleej criticized Iran and Syria for claiming victory in Lebanon as they remained observers to the country's "slaughter." But it praised Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah for recently admitting responsibility for miscalculating Israel's response to the group's capture of two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border operation that triggered the war.
The pro-government daily said in a commentary that Nasrallah's admission constituted "moral courage during times of self-accountability and criticism." This confirms, it added, that Hezbollah is an Arab, nationalist organization, saying that criticism during the war would have been inappropriate and would have provided a cover in the interests of the "enemy."
Self-criticism or criticism of Hezbollah by domestic and Arab parties during the war while the group's fighters were alone in the battlefields was wrong, it stressed. "But now that the Lebanese are taking a breath and started to rebuild, this is the right time for self-criticism and weighing the results, just as Nasrallah did two days ago" in an interview with Lebanon's New TV, the paper said.
However, it complained, the Arab nation is still not prepared for the "greater battle" and is not preparing new generations for future confrontations, "which should be the primary responsibility of the Islamic movements."
Resolution 1701 just a good start
Lebanon's Daily Star said that UN Security Council Resolution 1701 helped stabilize Lebanon, but the resolution was only a first step toward the country's full recovery.
The independent English-language paper added that the biggest challenge now facing UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who visited Lebanon Monday, is to build on the resolution to clearly define a just diplomatic procedure. It warned that dealing with the issue of prisoners, Israel's continued blockade of Lebanon, and the occupation of the Shebaa Farms needed to be quickly resolved "before the truce unravels and Lebanon's health once again deteriorates."
The daily's editorial argued that Annan would need the help of the Lebanese in unifying their own political forces through the participation of all the parties. "Lebanon's recovery will require a spirit of constructive cooperation among all the Lebanese," it said, adding that Annan nevertheless "still bears the primary responsibility for the creation of international conditions that will make Lebanon's recovery possible."
A moment for Israeli compromise
Jordan's Ad Dustour said in its editorial that Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora succeeded in presenting a unified Lebanese position to Kofi Annan and distinguishing between the problem with Israel and the country's internal problems regarding Hezbollah's weapons.
The daily added that it was important for Lebanon to maximize its benefits from the international community by guaranteeing a full Israeli withdrawal, deploying the UN forces, and helping Lebanon rebuild what the Israeli aggression destroyed. "Now we want to know what is happening on the Israeli side, and we want to see Mr. Annan speaking firmly to the Israelis to fully pull out and stop its erratic operations in southern Lebanon," the mass-circulation paper said.
It insisted that Annan should tell Israel that the "war crimes it committed in Lebanon are accountable by international law and he must show that international legitimacy is untouchable."
The paper, which describes itself as independent, but is partially owned by the government, said that all that is needed is courage because the Israelis are more ready than ever before to cooperate with the United Nations to exit the Lebanese crisis. With a little pressure, it said, Israel might even seek an appropriate solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict as their "dear friend [United States] also wants someone to help it leave Iraq ... Thus, there is an opportunity for Annan to advance his mission."
Hezbollah is worthy of respect
The United Arab Emirates' Al Khaleej said in a commentary that Hezbollah's political and military performance in the battlefields and its social work with civilians has gained it great support and respect at home and in the Arab and Muslim world. It added that this does not contradict its mutual interests with Syria and Iran, which are also in harmony with the Palestinian Hamas movement.
"But why not?" it asked, "when the American plan for the Middle East is having negative implications in Afghanistan, Iraq, Palestine, and Lebanon ... one with civil wars, another with terrorism, threatening the unity of Arab and Muslim countries."
The pro-government daily predicted that Israel would rely on trying to plant "sectarian mines by using its own interpretation of Resolution 1701 as a pretext." Israel, it said, would try to stall the continued blockade on Lebanon to pressure the Beirut government into "submitting to the Israeli interpretation of international resolutions as it relies on the American veto in the Security Council."
The daily asked rhetorically that if Hezbollah violated the resolution as Israel is doing, "would the Security Council not immediately meet and take deterring measures?"
Hezbollah wants to join UN: cartoon
Lebanon's Al Balad, which describes itself as an independent daily, published a cartoon on Annan's visit to Lebanon and his meeting with Hezbollah officials in the government. The cartoon depicts talk that Hezbollah has been acting as a "state within a state" through what is widely seen as its efficiency and the state's inefficiency in rebuilding what was destroyed by Israeli airstrikes during the war.
The cartoon shows Annan, carrying a document with a UN emblem reading "Resolution 1701," standing in front of Lebanon's electricity minister from Hezbollah Mohammed Fneish, who is carrying the Hezbollah flag. The two men are speaking into reporters' microphones, and a female reporter asks Annan: "What demands did Fneish have for you?" Annan replies: "He requested that Hezbollah join the United Nations."
Review of Arab Editorials
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