Iraq, Palestine - main subjects tackled in Arabic press

by Thamer Abu Baker

Ali Ibrahim, who writes for the London-based daily Asharq Al Awsat, said that the Americans will need more than just apologies to improve their image, badly damaged throughout the world after the publication of pictures showing US soldiers torturing Iraqi prisoners. The writer said that the issue here is not just the US image in the Arab world, but also the American administration's strategy in Iraq after its occupation; it seems that the publication of those pictures is an element of the dilemma facing the neoconservatives in the US administration.

Ibrahim argued that the current political debate in the US regarding the prisoners' issue, and the interrogation of Defence Secretary Ronald Rumsfeld and his apology are just the beginning of a policy-reviewing process in the American administration.

Punishing some US soldiers will not end this crisis because the main issue is the lack of any legal mechanism to safeguard the prisoners' rights. The case, however, must make the coalition forces reverse the way in which they manage things in Iraq, said the writer, adding that since the end of the war on Iraq, the security situation and economic conditions haven't improved. The writer admitted that there are many groups who desire to take advantage of the political vacuum in the country, and suggested that the only way out of this dilemma is to hand sovereignty over to the Iraqis and end the occupation.

Jasem Al Fahed stated in the Kuwaiti daily Al Rai Al Aam that the disgusting pictures showing abuse of the Iraqi prisoners have shocked the whole world because those who tortured the Iraqi prisoners had occupied the country under the pretext of liberating the people from Saddm Hussein's regime, with restoration of human rights as one pretext for US President George Bush to start his war on Iraq.

The writer stressed that the image of US soldiers as liberators has lost its glamour. However, those who are acquainted with the American administration were not surprised by the behaviour displayed in the incriminating photos because they know that the US uses the same methods of prisoner abuse at Guantanamo detention camp, refusing to subscribe to the Geneva convention. The columnist also criticised the inaction of the Arab governments which only condemned the treatment of Iraqis and called on the US to improve prison-conditions, an odd behaviour, considering that some of these governments torture prisoners in a much worse and disgusting manner.

Concerning the forthcoming Arab summit, due to take place in Tunisia between May 22 and 23, Hany Al Masri said that the Arab foreign ministers at last succeeded in fixing a date for the summit, although many controversial issues were postponed to next year's summit in Algeria.

Writing in the Palestinian daily Al Ayyam, Masri said this agreement among the Arab countries regarding many controversial issues demonstrates the mounting concern felt by the Arab leaders regarding the future of the region. The writer said that it is due to this concern that some countries which declared that they would not attend the postponed summit reversed their stand, while other countries settled their disputes ahead of the coming summit.

Regarding the Palestinian issue, the writer pointed out that the Arab foreign ministers adopted a resolution that ignored the Saudi initiative, which became the Arab pace initiative after the Beirut summit. Instead, he added, the Arab countries agreed to urge the American president to abide by his pledge to establish a Palestinian state, without mentioning the recent American stand which said that establishing the Palestinian state in the year 2005, as agreed upon in the roadmap, is unrealistic. The writer said that the statement at the end of the Arab summit will for sure denounce the operations that target civilians, meaning the Palestinian martyrdom operations inside Israel; he reminded the Arab governments that the Israeli military operations in Gaza City, which took place just hours after the conclusion of the foreign ministers' meeting, proved that Israel doesn't give much importance to the recent Arab stand condemning the Palestinian resistance.

The writer hoped that the ongoing battle in Gaza Strip will force the Arab leaders to reverse their recent attitude and make them take a firm stand concerning Israel's barbaric behaviour in Palestine.

Karem Mrowah, writing in the London-based daily Al Hayat, said that the daily killing in the Arab world, which became part of life in this region, had the issues of legitimate resistance and terrorist acts all mixed up. The writer stated that the so-called Iraqi national resistance regularly kills many innocent Iraqis, and targets the Iraqi police on regular basis, especially when this police is expected to replace the occupation troops in the country. He wondered how such killing of the Iraqis would help in liberating Iraq.

The writer pointed out that the terrorist acts taking place in Iraq, Morocco, Saudi Arabia and other countries are futile, only delaying the political development of the region, mainly the democratic transformation. In conclusion, the writer said that in light of the recent developments in Iraq, the Iraqis have to agree upon the goals of their resistance, and other forms of resisting the occupation, rather than go on killing innocent people.

This article originally appeared in the Sunday, May 16, 2004 edition of the Jordan Times. It is used here with permission.