AMMAN, Jordan, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- Arab press roundup for Feb. 1:
Arab newspapers continued to comment and analyze Wednesday Hamas' victory in the Jan. 25 Palestinian legislative elections.
Lebanon's an-Nahar said the size of Hamas' victory was not as surprising as the shock it brought to the Israelis and Americans.
The mass-circulation daily commented the U.S. official remarks that it did not expect such results showed there was no proper reading of the Palestinian pulse, saying Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's intention to dispatch more diplomats in the Palestinian territories would not provide a proper reading.
What is needed, the paper stressed, are "open ears and minds in the kitchens of American foreign policy," insisting Washington's "stupid foreign policy of absolute support" for Israel at the expense of a solution is what pushed Hamas to victory.
"How can Rice not read the Palestinian pulse when all she needs to do is look at the daily killings of Palestinians and when she administers the bankruptcy of the Palestinian Authority...and when (Israeli Prime Minister Ariel) Sharon refused to implement just one step within the American-European Quartet agreements?" the commentary asked.
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London-based ash-Sharq al-Awsat remarked that even Hamas was surprised by its own victory, saying the Islamic movement was not ready for such results. It added the surprised reactions continue from Israel, the United States and Europe, while Hamas is bewildered, Fatah is shocked and "recalculations will continue until Hamas is tested in the next events."
The Saudi-owned daily said if Fatah decides to help Hamas by joining a national government, Hamas would be supporting a peaceful settlement with Israel and adopting a new position to negotiate with the Jewish state. But if Fatah refused participating in the next government, it puts Hamas in a difficult position to commit political mistakes.
"Therefore, it appears Hamas is more shocked from the election results than the losers," it opined, adding that it did not expect the movement to make quick decisions because it was in a "very awkward position before the world since it is now directly involved."
The paper, distributed in most Arab capitals, expected difficult times for Hamas and a possible division between a pragmatic wing that wants to "live up to the responsibility of leading Palestinian affairs" and one that will refuse any changes in the group's principles promised to the voters.
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Bahrain's al-Ayam said if the world fears Hamas' victory and if Israel rejects the election results, the world and "this racist state" are the first to be blamed.
The pro-government daily commented the "deception of Fatah" by Israel, Washington and other Western countries led the Palestinians to seek other alternatives. Thus, it insisted, the American president "has no right to object to Hamas' victory and he has no right to label it with terrorism."
The Bahraini paper said consecutive U.S. administrations since the establishment of Israel were responsible for weakening and disparaging Fatah and its reputation when the movement "gave up so much of the Palestinian rights and aspirations just to achieve a little bit for its people." It added this was why the Palestinians voted for Hamas in a democratic manner "to which the American president cannot object or find any non-democratic gaps."
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London-based al-Quds al-Arabi said the Danish newspaper that published cartoons insulting Islam's Prophet Mohammad has finally apologized, but asked if that was enough to end the row over the issue.
The independent Palestinian-owned daily added that the "public opinion battle" and pressures succeeded in forcing the newspaper to apologize despite its initial refusal to discuss the issue on the grounds of free expression and the solidarity it received from its government and people. It argued that the quick and effective boycott of Danish goods was perhaps instrumental in shifting the issue to one of respecting interests rather than respecting others.
The daily noted that Denmark's economy relies mostly on its agricultural and livestock production, saying that half of its produce is exported to Saudi Arabia. "If Saudi Arabia alone stopped importing, half of Denmark's economy will be gravely harmed," losing billions in revenues and laying off at least 30,000 employees, it stressed.
The paper said it believed the apology was coerced after internal pressure, especially that the European Union as a whole felt the threat of the boycott, which it described as the first serious Arab attempt by Arabs showing a boycott can be effective in other issues.
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The Jordan Times appealed for the release of American journalist Jill Carroll from captivity in Iraq after al-Jazeera aired a "most appalling footage" Tuesday night showing her covered in a headscarf and weeping.
The English-language daily, partially owned by the government, said Carroll, who worked for the Jordan Times for a year, was a "true supporter of Arab and Muslim causes." It added the TV footage "made our hearts sink. And with ours, the hearts of Iraqis, Muslims and Arabs throughout the world should also sink."
The daily said that Carroll, a freelance journalist for the Christian Science Monitor abducted on Jan. 7, never appeared as someone "who would cry easily," adding her tears on the footage "filled us with anguish and anger at the same time."
Addressing her captors, the Jordanian paper said: "Every tear you make Jill shed is fresh shame that you bring on all Iraqis, Arabs and Muslims ... by kidnapping her, you silenced one of the few pro-Arab and pro-Iraqi voices in the international press. By continuing to hold her, you are harming the Arab and Iraqi cause. By threatening her you are offending Islam and tarnishing the image of all Muslims."
It stressed that 25 days of captivity should be enough for her captors to know her "sincere respect, admiration and love for Iraq and its people, her dedication to justice, her love for peace." It insisted that the journalist was one of the best ambassadors Arabs could hope for and appealed: "Let her go, and may God show you mercy."
