Terrorists target Jordan
Jordan's Ad Dustour commented on the shooting attack by a gunman at Western tourists in the Jordanian capital, Amman, in which a British man was killed and several other Westerners were injured.
The paper said that the attack was similar to "dozens of other terrorist incidents around the world ... But we realize our country is targeted by terrorist forces" as they try to destabilize the kingdom's economy and security strategy.
The mass-circulation paper added that no matter how big or small an attack, Jordan will remain strong and Jordanians will always condemn terrorists because they "corrupted the atmosphere of the Arab and Muslim worlds."
The daily, which describes itself as independent but is partially owned by the government, argued that Jordanians are not saddened by a ruined tourism season or extra money due to terrorist attacks, but are grieved and angered at targeting European tourists as Jordan tries to rectify the image of Islam that has been distorted by violence.
Terrorism must be addressed
Egypt's Al Ahram daily said that the shooting in downtown Amman was an episode of terrorist crimes in Jordan that escalated after the American invasion and occupation of neighboring Iraq in 2003.
The semi-official paper's editorial added that it was also part of a series of terrorist attacks in regional countries and around the world, arguing that the latest attack appears to be linked to political and military events in the Middle East.
"All the necessary security measures the Arab authorities use against terrorism do not appear to be enough to end it because its primary causes are deeper than security measures," it said.
The mass-circulation daily insisted that the world, and especially the Arab countries, needs to remove the causes and find peaceful political solutions according to international legitimacy to satisfy the people of the region, starting with the Palestinian and Iraqi issues.
It stressed that reaching solutions to end "the dark trend of terrorism" requires maximum international cooperation within the United Nations to prevent future attacks similar to what happened in Jordan.
War on Lebanon continues
Lebanon's Al Safir said that the blockade on Lebanon was a new round of Israel's war on the country since it hurts the Lebanese and costs the Israelis less than an all-out war.
The mass-circulation daily complained that no serious Arab moves have been made to confront the blockade as an extension of the war, saying that it seems that the Arabs believe that they have done more than what they can by sending humanitarian and medical aid.
Where are the Arab kings and leaders in supporting Lebanon today after they boasted "historical achievements in [Security Council] Resolution 1701," the paper asked.
It added that 20 kings, princes, and presidents have enough wealth and collective capabilities to confront "the other face of the Israeli war represented through the blockade, which is aimed at humiliating victorious Lebanon."
Hamas being strangled
The London-based Al Quds Al Arabi said that the latest strike sweeping the Palestinian territories coincided with a statement by the Fatah faction in the Legislative Council of intentions by Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas to dissolve the Hamas government in the next few weeks.
The independent Palestinian-owned daily said that linking the strike with an intention to dissolve the government means that there are parties instigating and using the strike to tighten the noose around the Hamas government's neck and blaming it for deteriorating living conditions.
"Hamas is not responsible for not paying the salaries of the employees in the past six months and has tried to break the blockade imposed by Israel and the United States on the Palestinian people," the paper argued, "but some Palestinian and Arab forces worked to foil its efforts."
The daily, distributed in many Arab capitals, said that Hamas is being punished because it stuck to the Palestinian principles by refusing to give up 80 percent of Palestine, insisting on the right of refugees to return and establishing an independent and free Palestinian state.
It asked how a government could succeed when half of its ministers, a third of its lawmakers, and dozens of its municipal officials are in Israeli jails.
"The strike should be aimed at Israel, the United States, and other Western countries that are punishing the Palestinian people," it stressed, adding that the Hamas government did not fail, but rather was "prevented from succeeding."
The paper said that Abbas' dissolution of the government will not solve the problem, but create other more serious crises.
Iraq's Kurds must be patient
A commentary in the London-based daily ASharq Al Awsat, said that if anyone had the right to secede from Iraq, it was the Kurds, but this does not appear to be an intention by Iraqi Kurdish politicians participating in the formation of a new Iraq.
The Saudi-owned paper said that one must look at the Kurdish measures in northern Iraq before judging the debate over raising the Kurdish flag, rather than the Iraqi one, in the area.
It said that northern Iraq has become a safe haven for thousands of Iraqis fleeing the "hell of Baghdad and rest of Iraqi towns suffering from explosions, assassinations and fear, in addition to a demolished economy."
The paper said that the Kurdish north was the only successful model in the country. Nevertheless, it added, Iraqis should realize that breaking away is easy, but the price will be very high as each province will become a small state in a world where countries are expanding and uniting.
It is in all Iraqi people's interests to protect a big country that enjoys privileges that small ones do not, the paper said.
The Iraqis, it insisted, will overcome their wounds and their country will return to being large, rich, and prosperous with a central, influential leadership.
It urged the Iraqi Kurds to be more patient, saying that they have already endured "more than two decades of repression from Baghdad's regimes."
Review of Arab Editorials
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