The Middle East English Language Press. What They Are Saying.

A review of news of interest to Jewish and non-Jewish communities world-wide.

Russia says Assad could go in Syria settlement.

Jordan Times: “Russia said on Tuesday it was prepared to see Syrian President Bashar Assad leave power in a negotiated solution to 15 months of bloodshed that has claimed more than 13,000 lives. Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov said a day after meeting mediator Kofi Annan in Geneva that Russia would back any peaceful settlement to the crisis as long as it did not involve the use of outside force. “We have never said or insisted that Assad necessarily had to remain in power at the end of the political process,’ Gatilov told the ITAR-TASS news agency in Switzerland. “This issue has to be settled by the Syrians themselves.’ The comments represent one of Russia’s most explicit declarations of a position first signalled by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov a day after a February 7 meeting in Damascus with Assad. Lavrov at the time refused to explicitly back Assad and said the leadership structure of Moscow’s Soviet-era ally ‘should be the result of agreement between the Syrians themselves.’ Russia has been facing mounting pressure to back Assad’s departure as a first step in a settlement that would see his inner circle assume command on an interim basis.”

Facing a collapse in its vote, [Egypt's] Muslim Brotherhood is desperate to reassure the public.

Al-Ahram Weekly, Egypt: “The surprise in the first round of the presidential elections was not that Mohamed Mursi would come in first and head to the run-offs against Ahmed Shafik but how narrow the margin was between them. Of 23,265,000 legitimate ballots 5,765,000 were cast for Mursi and 5,505,000 for Shafik, a difference of just 150,000 votes. That was not the only surprise for the Muslim Brotherhood. Despite its organisational capabilities, the group’s candidate won only 25 per cent of the vote, down from the 45 per cent the Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) secured in the parliamentary elections. The decline in its popularity places the Muslim Brotherhood in an unprecedented dilemma. . . There is also a fear that should the Muslim Brother seize control over both the legislature and the executive Mursi, as president, would only be a facade. The real ruler of Egypt would be the Muslim Brotherhood’s supreme guide. Yet despite Mursi’s promises anxieties over the prospect of Muslim Brotherhood rule remain. Liberals, in particular, fear the Brotherhood will turn Egypt into a theocracy ruled by the Supreme Guide and that Mursi’s pledges to be a president for all Egyptians will turn into a sick joke. . . The business community, too, is anxious. They see the Muslim Brotherhood throwing an Islamic cloak over all business and financial transactions, abolishing banks which, under Islamic Sharia, are regarded as usurious. People in the tourist sector are also alarmed. They fear that if the Muslim Brothers outlaw alcohol and forbid beachwear they will drive the final nail into the coffin of the Egyptian tourist industry. People in the press and media are biting their nails at the prospect of Muslim Brotherhood rule. The Shura Council is already studying changes to the organisation of the press that could see Muslim Brothers take charge of the state owned media. Some political analysts fear how the Muslim Brotherhood, with its connections with Hamas, will handle the Palestinian cause, possibly abrogating the Camp David peace treaty and inviting Israeli intervention in Sinai. Fears and anxieties abound. The Muslim Brothers are trying hard to dispel them before the runoffs. It is far from clear that they will succeed.”

Khamenei warns Israel of ‘thunderous’ blow.

Kuwait Times: “Any attack by Israel on Iran will blow back on the Jewish state ‘like thunder,’ Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said yesterday. Khamenei also said that the international community’s suspicion that Iran was seeking nuclear weapons is based on a ‘lie’ and he insisted that sanctions imposed on his country were ineffective and only strengthened its resolve. His speech, broadcast on state television to mark the 1989 death of his predecessor and founder of the Islamic republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, contained no sign Iran was prepared to make any concessions on its disputed nuclear program. Instead, it was infused with defiance and Khamenei’s customary contempt for Iran’s arch-foes Israel and the United States. If the Israelis ‘make any misstep or wrong action, it will fall on their heads like thunder,’ Khamenei said. The Jewish state, he added, was feeling ‘vulnerable’ and ‘terrified’ after losing deposed Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak as an ally. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told reporters in Stockholm the threats against Israel were ‘nothing new’, insisting she would judge Tehran by its actions at upcoming nuclear talks in Russia.”

Palestinian Abbas urges Israel to accept 2-state deal.

The Daily Star, Lebanon: ”Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas urged Israel on Tuesday to accept a two-state solution based on 1967 borders, warning that the opportunity ‘may not stay on the table for a long time’ given the political upheavals caused by the Arab Spring. Abbas set out the Palestinian case for statehood and full U.N. membership at a World Economic Forum conference in Istanbul, stressing that membership of the United Nations should not prejudice negotiations with Israel. ‘I would like to address our Israeli neighbours and say we are seekers of peace and freedom and our people made a major sacrifice when they accepted establishing their state on less than a quarter of the area of historical Palestine,’ Abbas said. ‘So do not turn your backs on this opportunity … this opportunity may not stay on the table for a long time because the region is witnessing rapid developments,’ he said. Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan told the conference the Palestinian issue remained the ‘the most important problem threatening peace and stability in the region,’ and said there was mounting anger with Israel over its policies.”

Israel deploys nuclear missiles on German submarines.

Gulf News, Qatar: “Israel is arming submarines supplied and largely financed by Germany with nuclear-tipped cruise missiles, influential German news weekly Der Spiegel reports in its issue to be published on Monday. The magazine said in a cover story likely to touch off a debate in Germany that Berlin had until now denied any knowledge that German submarines were being used as part of an Israeli atomic arsenal. Israel is the Middle East’s sole if undeclared nuclear-armed power. However, former high-ranking officials of the German defence ministry told the magazine that the government always assumed that Israel was putting nuclear warheads on the Dolphin-class vessels. The article, based on a months-long probe, cited files from the foreign ministry in Berlin indicating that the West German state was aware of the practice as early as 1961. Germany has already supplied Israel with three of the submarines in question, footing most of the bill, and another three are to be delivered by 2017 under a recently signed contract. Meanwhile, Israel is weighing whether to order three more, according to the report.”

Fatah withdraws from Gaza rally over flag dispute.

Ma’an News Agency, Palestinian Territories: “Fatah supporters on Tuesday withdrew from a rally in Gaza because protesters were flying factional flags instead of the Palestinian flag, a party official said. The rally was held to mark the Naksa, the 45th anniversary of Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and Gaza.’Fatah’s withdrawal along with some PLO factions from today’s march is the result of not committing to holding the Palestinian flag which is the only flag that should be lifted in such a demonstration as agreed earlier,’ said Fayez Abu Eita, Fatah’s spokesman in Gaza, in a statement.”

Israel’s Decision to Impose Its Laws on Syrian Golan Null and Void.

Syrian Arab News Agency: “In a letter sent to the UN Secretary General, the Syrian Foreign and Expatriates Ministry affirmed that Israel’s decision to impose its laws, authority and administration is null and void and devoid of any legitimacy as per the UN Security Council resolution no. 497 of 1981.The letter, which details Syria’s stance regarding the UN General Assembly decision no. 66-19 on the Syrian Golan, said that the aforementioned decision stipulates that Israel cease changing the constructional characteristics, demographic composition, institutional structure and legal status of the occupied Syrian Golan, and to specifically stop constructing settlements. The letter also voiced Syria’s stern condemnation of the Israeli government’s decision in June 2011 to build an isolating wall east of the occupied town in Majdal Shams and its decision to increase settlement in the occupied Syrian Golan, saying that these practices show Israel’s true intentions which reject peace. The Foreign Ministry denounced all the Israeli practices which violate the UN General Assembly decisions that stress that the Arab populace of Golan are sovereign over their natural resources, calling on UN member countries to reject the import of natural products seized from the occupied lands or the ones manufactured in it.” 

Iran not to relinquish its nuclear rights.

IRNA, Iran: “Rapporteur of Iran’s Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Kazem Jalali said on Tuesday Iran will never relinquish its own nuclear rights. He told reporters on the sidelines of an open session of Majlis that Iran has explained its stance in its package of proposals in Baghdad, so its stance is clear in the next round of nuclear talks in Moscow. Jalali said Iran does not trust the West so it believes that the best way to settle the differences is purposeful talks. Saying the International Atomic Energy Agency misled the nuclear talks by sending Iran’s nuclear case to the United Nations Security Council, he said the first step towards confidence building is returning the case back to IAEA. The lawmaker said the West is continuing with nuclear talks on the one hand and imposing new sanctions on Iran on the other but this policy of stick and carrot policy cannot work to force Iran to give up its rights.”

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-THE MIDDLE EAST ENGLISH LANGUAGE PRESS: What they are saying.

A selection of news reports for Monday, June 06, 2011.

Spat with Egypt shuts Rafah border crossing

JORDAN TIMES: – Palestinian officials have suspended operations at the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, in protest at what they say is Egyptian lack of cooperation at the terminal. Palestinian officials said on Sunday that they had halted operations on their side of the border crossing, after disagreements about capacity and coordination. The crossing was closed on Saturday, with the Palestinians saying Egypt halted operations without warning, stranding angry Palestinian travellers on the Gaza side of the terminal, unable to cross into Sinai. But on Sunday morning, it was Palestinian officials who closed the crossing, with terminal head Ayub Abu Shaar saying it would remain shut until officials on both sides came to an agreement on its operation. A senior Hamas official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, accused the Egyptian side of foot-dragging.

Lesotho Recognizes Palestinian State within 1967 Borders‏

PALESTINE NEWS AGENCY: – Fatah Commissioner of International Relations, Nabil Shaath, said Monday that the Kingdom of Lesotho had recognized the Palestinian state within 1967 borders. The African country told its permanent representative at the United Nations to contact the Palestinian representative to start procedures to open diplomatic representation between the two states, said Shaath. He added that the Republic of Malawi had also reiterated its previous recognition of the Palestinian state within 1967 borders.

Diplomats hint of impending Israeli war

THE DAILY STAR, LEBANON:  - Western diplomats are talking about the possibility of a large-scale Israeli war against Lebanon in the coming months, saying that Israel had finalized military, logistic and intelligence preparations for such an aggression. These diplomats add that the political crisis in Lebanon could be exploited by some influential regional forces to achieve their own ends, highlighting the decline of Syria’s role in Lebanon due to the anti-regime protests which have been sweeping Syria since mid-March. This recalls the saying, “Lebanon’s security is Syria’s security,” and there is increasing talk that Lebanon and Syria could be witness to events that recreate the image of the Middle East based on new rules set by the major world powers. Amid this gloom, a European diplomat, who is closely following developments in the Arab region including the Syria regime’s crackdown on the opposition, which received additional support during their conference in Antalya last week, said that the reforms promised by Syrian President Bashar Assad remain only in the realm of possibilities, without serious attempts at their implementation.

Iranian delegation visits Lebanese-Israeli border

THE DAILY STAR, LEBANON: – KFAR KILA, Lebanon- Iran supports the Palestinian refugees’ right of return, which will be fulfilled through Palestinian’s resistance, Iranian officials said Sunday during a visit to the Lebanese-Israeli border to mark the 44th anniversary of the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. The head of the cultural committee at the Iranian Shura Council, Gholam Ali-Haddad Adel, led the delegation, which included head of the economic development committee, Mosbahi Mokaddam and Iranian Ambassador to Lebanon Ghazanfar Rokn Abadi. Adel voiced Iran’s support for the Palestinian and Lebanese causes, as he raised the Palestinian flag at “Iran’s garden” in Kfar Kila. “The purpose of our visit is to send the message to the Palestinian and Lebanese youth and the resistance that Iran stands by them,” Adel said. The delegation toured Adeysseh, Fatima Gate, Kfar Kila and Maroun al-Ras, where 11 Palestinian protesters were shot dead by Israeli troops on May 15 in a Nakba anniversary march.

Israeli forces kill 20 protesters in Golan

KUWAIT TIMES:  - MAJDAL SHAMS, Golan Heights- Israeli troops opened fire yesterday as protesters from Syria stormed a ceasefire line in the occupied Golan Heights, with Damascus saying 20 demonstrators were killed. Hundreds of protesters rushed the ceasefire line, cutting through barbed wire as they tried to enter the Golan Heights in a repeat of demonstrations last month that saw thousands mass along Israel’s north. Similar protests were held in the West Bank and in the Gaza Strip. The marchers, who had organized on Facebook, passed by Syrian and UN outposts on their way to the frontlines. In Majdal Shams, on the occupied Golan, Israeli troops opened fire as demonstrators sought to push through the mined ceasefire line, which had been reinforced with several rows of barbed wire blocking access to a fence. “Despite numerous warnings, both verbal and later warning shots in the air, dozens of Syrians continue to approach the border and IDF (Israel Defence Forces) forces were left with no choice but to open fire towards the feet of protesters in efforts to deter further actions,” an army spokesman . . .

On deaf ears: Obama’s message to Israel

AL JAREEZA, QATAR:  - Late May’s extraordinary sequence of speeches and meetings involving US President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu – and the commentary surrounding it from official circles in both countries – did not make for an edifying interlude. The week beginning May 19 will not be remembered for displays of farsighted statecraft, or high moral courage. What we saw instead was brash, unapologetic chauvinism from Netanyahu, an outright refusal of moral leadership from Obama, and acts of political cowardice and opportunism from the US Congress outrageous even by the low standards of that frequently ignominious body. But that is not to say that the week’s display was not useful. On the contrary, much of importance was accomplished. Now, more clearly than ever, we can see the future. For if there were any questions remaining about the current nature and direction of the Israeli-Palestinian dispute, May’s events have put an end to them. Zionism is far from dead, and will surely survive, at least in altered form. But a fundamental change in the nature of the Israeli state has become inevitable.

Israel unveils first of 50 solar power fields

ARAB NEWS, SAUDI ARABIA: – Israel’s Arava Power unveiled the country’s first commercial solar power plant on Sunday, showing it off to government ministers and dignitaries, and announced plans to erect dozens of other solar array fields, whose total cost could reach $2 billion. The 100 million-shekel ($30 million), 4.95 megawatt plant in the agricultural community Kibbutz Keturah which is due to be hooked up to the national grid in the next few weeks, is the first of about 50 photovoltaic power fields that Arava said it will build throughout the southern Negev desert by the end of 2014. Israel has set a goal of having 10 percent of the energy it consumes coming from renewable sources by 2020. But there is still some disagreement within the government on how best to proceed, which could delay Arava’s plan. Arava, which is 36 percent owned by German conglomerate Siemens, said it secured 80 percent of the funding for the Keturah plant from Bank Hapoalim, Israel’s second-largest bank.

 IAEA turns up heat on Syria, Iran

UAE, KHALEEJ TIMES: –  UN atomic watchdog chief Yukiya Amano turned up the heat on Syria and Iran — both accused of illicit nuclear activity — as the body’s policy-making board of governors began meeting here Monday. Tehran and Damascus are both accused of actively blocking the International Atomic Energy Agency’s long-running investigations into illegal nuclear activity. At the end of May, Amano released two new reports in which he said Iran was continuing to stockpile low-enriched uranium, in defiance of multiple UN sanctions, and refusing to answer allegations of possible military dimensions to its contested nuclear programme. Syria, for its part, is accused of building an undeclared atomic reactor at a remote desert site and has not allowed UN inspectors access to locations, data or individuals who could help clear up the allegations. Addressing the IAEA’s governors on the first day of their traditional week-long June meeting, Amano defended his decision to go public with his assessment that a suspect site in Syria was “very likely” to have been an undeclared nuclear reactor, as alleged by the United States. “The Syrian government was given ample time by the agency to cooperate fully concerning the Dair Alzour site, but did not do so,” Amano said, according to a copy of his speech circulated to journalists. “Nevertheless, we had obtained enough information to draw a conclusion. I judged it appropriate to inform member states of our conclusion at this stage as it was in no one’s interest to let this situation drag on.

German activists set sail for Gaza in support of Freedom Flotilla

DAILY NEWS, ISTANBUL: -   A humanitarian aid ship will set sail for Gaza from the German port city of Hamburg on June 19 to support an international initiative to break the Israeli siege by sending ships carrying humanitarian supplies. The ship, named Freedom Flotilla II, is sponsored by Professor Udo Steinbach, a well-known German expert on the Middle East, and the German Initiative to Break the Siege of Gaza. Former German deputy Norman Paech has also expressed his support for the enterprise and said the embargo on Palestine was against international law. Paech was onboard the Mavi Marmara in 2010, when Israeli commandos boarded the ship and killed nine Turkish activists. The vessel was part of the “Freedom Flotilla,” a group of ships carrying international activists trying to bring humanitarian aid to Gaza. The president of the German Jewish Community, or DIG, Reinhold Robbe, criticized Professor Steinbach and said he was letting radical people use his name and academic renown, urging him to give up his support for the flotilla, according to the Anatolia news agency. German journalist Peter Wolter and Swedish writer Henning Mankell will also be onboard the flotilla. All aid ships bound for Gaza are expected to meet in Greece on June 27.

Brotherhood’s party officially declared

THE EGYPTIAN GAZETTE: -  The Committee of Parties’ Affairs on Monday gave a final and official nod to the Freedom and Justice Party, which was created by the Muslim Brotherhood, to become the first party declared after the fall of Hosni Mubarak regime. “The Freedom and Justice Party is officially recognized as of today (on Monday) after meeting all requirements stipulated by the New Parties Law,” read a statement from the judicial committee. It added that this statement should be issued in the official Gazette within ten days. The Freedom and Justice Party was created by the Muslim Brotherhood and forwarded a notification to the committee two weeks ago. The Free Egyptians Party, another new party spearheaded by telecom business tycoon Naguib Sawiris, is expected to submit its notification to the committee today (on Tuesday).

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