A roundup of commentary from Arab newspapers September 25.
Nasrallah 'leader of the free'
Kuwait's Al Rai Al Aam said in a commentary that Kuwaitis were overwhelmed with happiness as Nasrallah led a "victory rally" last week in Beirut's southern suburbs. The pro-government daily added it was a historic day, not only for Lebanon, but for all the Arab and Muslim masses seeking to "end humiliation and submission to the West and their loyal Arab regimes."
It insisted the Kuwaitis and Arabs were filled with pride as "we watched the [Lebanese] show their loyalty to their leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah in a scene that cannot be understood except by those who refuse to seek surrender to the foreigners and their allies in the Arab region."
The mass-circulation paper said "indescribable feelings" swept the people as they watched the "leader of the resistance defying the Zionist enemy's government that is seeking to assassinate him, as he directly meets" the masses in a live televised transmission to establish a road map for a new nation.
It described Nasrallah as a "true leader who is qualified to lead the masses to safety and has the ability to light the path of awareness," and opined Lebanon is an example for all Arabs and Muslims, saying the Hezbollah leader was a role model for "all the free of the world."
Lebanese must act now, debate later
Lebanon's Daily Star commented on Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah's "victory speech" and a counter-rally by head of the anti-Syrian Christian Lebanese Forces Samir Geagea, saying each interpreted the recent war with Israel but did not say what to do next.
The independent English-language paper said in its editorial that while both expressed openness for renewed and expanded dialogue, "Lebanese history has made it abundantly clear that occasional expressions of good intentions are not enough to overcome decades of inter-communal mistrust and government mismanagement."
It stressed that a real dialogue can overcome obstacles only through parliament, and insisted it was time for Lebanese lawmakers to meet the challenges facing the country by "transforming their chamber from a debating club that periodically obstructs the other branches of government into a more business-like institution that unambiguously stakes out its territory and consistently acts assertively within it."
The daily added Lebanon needs a parliament where legislators can reach compromises for new laws and procedures that serve the interests of all Lebanese. "When parliament becomes a factory floor for the manufacture of the new Lebanon, there will still be plenty of time, as should be the case, for spirited debate," it said.
Political 'midgets' revealed
Qatar's Al Watan also praised Nasrallah and the "victory rally" in Beirut, saying the Hezbollah leader expressed brave positions on the unity of his country after Israeli leaders thought they could weaken Lebanon and its resistance.
The pro-government daily said Hezbollah triumphed in its rally and showed readiness for confrontation against those who "rode the wave of the Palestinian cause but changed their slogans in the past decade under so-called political pragmatism."
It argued that Nasrallah revealed these politicians, in reference to some Lebanese political leaders, in their true size: "Small midgets, thieves in the Lebanese civil war [1975-1990] and traders of bloodshed who consumed their organizations in internal wars." The Lebanese "defiance rally" in the southern suburbs was a celebration to hail the Palestinian people, it said.
Save the Palestinians
Egypt's semi-official Al Gomhuriya said the Palestinian people saw the
beginning of the fasting holy month of Ramadan under an unjust blockade imposed by Israel and the United States. The mass-circulation paper added in its editorial that the two countries were demanding the Palestinian government, whether led by Hamas or one of national unity, succumb to their conditions while Israel continues its attacks against the Palestinian people.
The paper called on all Arab countries to break the blockade against the Palestinians and exert efforts to "revive the human conscience to save a people struggling for freedom, but labeled as terrorists by fake slogans of democracy and human rights."
Saleh's victory 'natural'
Yemen's official Al Thawra daily said the recent presidential and local elections witnessed an unprecedented development in political democracy in the country as the Yemenis demonstrated a high level of understanding democratic exercise.
In its editorial it said every Yemeni should be proud of such political and democratic maturity expressed by neutral international observers, saying the country's successful elections were unprecedented in the Arab world.
The mass-circulation daily said Yemen witnessed free elections where the parties competed equally and the people voted in high numbers, adding the results that renewed President Ali Abdullah Saleh's presidency came because of his "huge record in his achievements for the people."
Saleh had spent his life and efforts to serve his country, had united Yemen in 1990 and consolidated security and stability through democracy, it insisted. "It was natural for the people" to vote for a "leader with such a record," the paper said.
Review of Arab Editorials
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