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Al-Ahram Weekly 13 - 19 January 2000 Issue No. 464 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 13 - 19 January 2000 Issue No. 464
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Heritage Special Books Profile Travel Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Silence of the press
By Abdel-Moneim Said *
In the past weeks, I found no mention of the Arab-Israeli conflict in the national, liberal, socialist or Islamic press, nor any word of the resumption of negotiations along the Israeli-Syrian track in any of the newspapers which were recently so vociferous about the issue. In their editorials, editors-in-chief seemed to have given up on their long and elaborate analyses and to have contented themselves with mere allusions to the subject, turning their attention to the millennium celebrations, which they described as a Zionist plot, a Masonic conspiracy, a manifestation of imperialism, and a violation of Islam.
Journalists have been lax at this crucial time. No explanation was given of why the negotiations were halted or resumed, why the Syrian position changed at this juncture, the difference between the Israeli-Syrian and the Israeli-Egyptian negotiations, or the prospects for peace if the talks succeed or fail.
The press has a duty to support the Syrian negotiators, providing guidelines so that talks do not affect the Palestinian track adversely. The Israeli prime minister is trying to stir up rivalry by pursuing talks with Syria at the Palestinians' expense. We must avoid this at all costs. The issues at stake here affect all the Arabs. The Arab-Israeli conflict has exacted an exorbitant price in terms of our development. We need to reach a just and comprehensive solution soon, that will integrate the Middle East on new grounds of cooperation and competition.
* This week's Soapbox speaker is director of Al-Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies.
