What the Arab papers said on June 10:

At a gathering last May 26 Jimmy Carter said Israel possesses 150 Nuclear weapons. Carters revelation is the first credible public acknowledgment by a former U.S, president that Israel possesses a nuclear arsenal. Israel has never admitted having nuclear weapons, nor has any U.S. official ever deviated from that Israeli line. But while the possession of nuclear weapons by Israel is a threat to its enemies, it is also a threat to its friends and allies.

The U.S. presidential race has now crystallized and for the nations of the Middle East it could not be clearer: The contest has become one between the past and the future.

It is almost anyones guess what U.S. policy in the Middle East will be like under a new American leader next year. Judging by the rhetoric in this amazing primary election campaign, reportedly the costliest in U.S. history and the likes of which has not been seen in past decades – especially among the Democratic Partys surviving candidates, senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama – it may disappointingly be not much different than the disastrous policies of the George W. Bush administration. This is especially true with regards to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, now in its 61st year.

Controversial ex-U.S. President Jimmy Carter has weighed into the Middle East foray again by publicly stating that Israel has 150 nuclear weapons, the first time a U.S. president has openly acknowledged one of the worst kept secrets in the region.

JERUSALEM - Israels 60th anniversary has come and gone. So, too, has U.S. President George W. Bushs final visit to the Middle East. Amidst the celebrations and the soul-searching, no meaningful breakthrough in the deadlocked Israeli-Palestinian negotiations is visible.