AMMAN, Jordan, May 15 (UPI) -- Arab press roundup for May 15:
Jordan's ad-Dustour said in its editorial Monday that May 15 will remain a "heavy memory" for the Arab world, in reference to the Palestinian "nakba," or "catastrophe" when Palestinians lost their homes to the establishment of Israel in 1948. The mass-circulation daily complained the Arab world will continue to pay for its weaknesses of 58 years ago, saying the fate of Palestine and Jerusalem will remain a "yardstick for the real value of Arabs among the nations." What happened in 1948, it argued, was not just an incident in history and time, but the beginning of a long and complicated struggle that continues today. The paper, which describes itself as independent but is partially owned by the Jordanian government, complained that nothing has changed in the past 58 years as "liars continue to distort the position of the honorable and stab in the back all those who stand by the steadfast, struggling Palestinian people."
Lebanon's al-Balad daily commented that the fact that the Arab world is mostly living a "variety of catastrophes" eases the Palestinian catastrophes of living under occupation and in exile. The paper, which describes itself as independent, said the Palestinians were still among the Arabs who most suffer 58 years after they lost their homes. But the "catastrophe," it added, is no longer confined to the Palestinians; it expanded to the rest of the Arab world as military regimes began to sprout at the start of the 1950s, using the excuse of confronting Israel. The paper said that since 1948 Arab citizens have been repressed; Arabs were defeated by Israel again in 1967 when the latter occupied other Arab territories; there have been Arab-Arab wars; and Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait and the American invasion of Iraq, spreading terrorism and violence. "We don't wish to deprive the Palestinians of the importance of their catastrophe," it stressed, "but catastrophes don't only involve occupation, displacement and wars." The paper said catastrophes involve an absence of democracy and social inequality, unfair distribution of wealth, repressing free thought and illiteracy. "Every catastrophe in the Arab world needs to marked" by not crying over losses, but by initiating solutions, it said.
The London-based al-Quds al-Arabi blasted an Israeli high court decision endorsing a law denying residency to Palestinians married to Israeli Arabs as a reflection of the Jewish state's racism and violation of human rights. The independent Palestinian-owned daily said the court ruling shows Israel's "false democracy and its judiciary's injustice," adding the law not only reveals its racism, but poses a danger to the human suffering it will inflict on thousands of Palestinian families. It warned Palestinian families now will either have to split up or live in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. "Israel is simply exercising the worst kind of racial discrimination against the natives and exceeds the apartheid regime in South Africa," it opined. It argued the Israelis were victims of discrimination at the hands of Nazi Germany and are now today "using the worst forms of discrimination against an Arab minority because they are Arabs, Muslims and Christians, not Jews." After starving 3 million Palestinians and killing dozens in the West Bank and Gaza, it complained, now it was time for Israel to humiliate the Israeli Arabs. The daily described the West as "hypocrites" for imposing sanctions on countries they see as harboring terrorists and violating human rights, yet when it comes to Israel's distorted policies, the West remains silent. Noting that Arabs in Israel are banned from taking high official government positions and serving in the army, "it is now forbidden for them to marry those they love. Is there more racism than this?"
Another London-based daily, al-Hayat, said in a commentary it was concerned with reports from Gaza that a large number of Palestinian youth support al-Qaida leader in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, after he appeared for the first time on television recently. The Saudi-financed daily asked how the likes of Jordanian-born Zarqawi, who killed Iraqis and innocent civilians, could become symbols of jihad among a people renowned for their legitimate resistance against Israeli occupation. The writer of the commentary said he fears the day will come when Zarqawi, al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden and their cronies will start exploiting the Palestinian cause and the "pure and legitimate struggle and resistance will be turned into a tool for the terrorists and opportunists like Zarqawi." The political and security developments in the Middle East are the fuel used by extremists to brainwash the youth to carry out terrorist attacks, it warned.
The Saudi-owned ash-Sharq al-Awsat commented on Jordan's crisis with Hamas after the former aired "confessions" by three suspects who claimed they were recruited by Hamas to smuggle and store weapons in the kingdom, and plotted to target Jordanians. The London-based daily said that whether Hamas is really involved in the case, or if Hamas leadership outside the Palestinian territories are responsible, the issue can be resolved in one meeting. It argued that Jordan and Hamas have enough problems and issues to deal with than to bicker over the weapons case. "Everyone, not only Jordan, is worried over Hamas' reluctance to commit to agreements signed by previous Palestinian governments," the paper said, adding that the Islamic movement is now taking "small steps" towards that goal. It added that Hamas justifies its refusal to accept the 2002 Arab peace initiative because Israel itself has not accepted it. The daily said if Hamas has a better proposal that the Arabs and international community will accept, one that can work, "we will be happy to hear it. But not political rhetoric that will not establish a (Palestinian) state."
