AMMAN, Jordan, April 26 (UPI) -- Arab press roundup for April 26:
Egypt's mainstream al-Ahram daily commented in its editorial Wednesday the triple bomb attack in the resort of Dahab in the Sinai will not achieve the motives of the perpetrators to destabilize and terrorize the Egyptian people. The mass-circulation newspaper said terrorist attacks in the country for the past 25 years have failed to achieve their objectives in trying to obstruct Egypt's "development process." It insisted the explosions in Dahab Monday night, in which 30 people were killed and 150 others injured, cannot be justified under any circumstances. But it added the bombings, as well as the attacks in Taba and Sharm el-Sheikh in the past two years, should be an alarm bell for the country for a comprehensive reassessment to "know the motives behind these terrorist attacks, bring the perpetrators to justice and develop mechanisms to prevent them in the future." To eliminate terrorism, it stressed, requires a broad political, security, social and media framework to "isolate and dispel these terrorists from our society."
Bahrain's Akhbar al-Khaleej commented it was only hours between the broadcast of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden's latest audio address and the explosions in the Egyptian resort. It said it appears as though there are those who want to send a message that bin Laden, his group and supporters are behind the terrorist attacks, which it said will complicate conditions in Egypt. The pro-government paper argued that bin Laden was a combination of a "fighter who lost the compass of jihad, took the path of extremism, becoming a tool in the American game. He is either insane or naïve, having been exploited by the American foreign policy" and the Qatar-based al-Jazeera news channel, which broadcasts his speeches and videos. It opined that no one who understands the power of American believes that bin Laden is in an unknown place where the American might and technology cannot locate him.
The Jordan Times commented the Dahab triple attack added another "stain on the image of the Arabs in a long list of similar painful happenings in our region." The English-language daily's editorial said whether al-Qaida or a home-grown "demented group" was responsible for the Egypt bombings, the perpetrators must be brought to justice, adding that such acts can only be carried out by evil minds for the sake of murder. The paper, partially owned by the Jordanian government, insisted that no normal human being or religion can possibly endorse such acts since killing goes against every faith and human values. It said the condemnations by Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood to the terrorist act is "reassuring" that "humanity can still assert itself." However, it insisted that citizens need to be alert and governments should know that ignoring grievances "often fester to bursting point, poisoning minds and debasing mankind."
The London-based al-Hayat daily commented the Dahab bombings should be an opportunity to review the understanding of terrorism from a political angle and to be honest about it. The Saudi-financed daily said the attack did not come as a surprise to those who link political tension with terrorism, saying the region was in the midst of several crises in Palestine, Iran and Syria. It criticized attempts to exploit the terrorist attacks against the Palestinian Hamas organization and trying to foil its government, saying this was "more dangerous than the Dahab explosions." It is time for Arabs to stop buying into the American belief that terrorism has no objectives, it argued, adding this idea contradicts "our national interests and was imposed by force" on the region. The daily, distributed in most Arab capitals, complained the United States and its ideas of terrorism have prevented countries in the region from "thinking independently," saying that not rejecting the American conviction "will lead us to disaster." It insisted that whether terrorism was "reckless or blind reaction," it was still a reaction and the attackers "are people who are part of our culture." This needs a position to defuse the act that triggers such reactions, it said, just as European countries did when they dealt with terrorism with the logic of action and reaction because of their troops in Iraq. "The Europeans began to read the terrorist acts in a way that serve their political interests, without fear or blackmail from Washington and its so-called war on terrorism," the paper said. It added the Europeans were not afraid of being accused of having negotiated with terrorism or bowing to the will of the terrorists. The commentator stressed that while he was not calling on Arab regimes to negotiate with terrorists or submit to their demands, it urged a reconsideration of their provocative political policies. "There is no doubt that the Jordanian accusations against Hamas and Cairo's shift from role of mediator between Israel and the Palestinian Authority to one of boycotting the Palestinians because of Hamas will only fuel terrorism," it opined. "The solution is an Arab policy that fears God and respects people's sentiments."
A commentary in Yemen's al-Thawra daily said Palestinians in the occupied territories who turn their weapons against each other to kill or threaten is "high treason." The semi-official paper insisted that Palestinian arms exist to protect the Palestinian people, not to threaten their security with internal fighting among "partners in the struggle." The Palestinians, it said, should not resolve their problems with guns because they are "not cowboys, but a besieged people with a long and great history, heritage and a great democracy." The mass-circulation newspaper said Palestine needs unity against one enemy (Israel), arguing the differences are only serving Israel and united Palestinians can retrieve their legitimate rights through legal means.
