Wars past and present

D-Day and Iraq are compared. Rasha Saad sees the results in the Arab press

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Al-Khalij of the UAE depicts Palestinian activist Marwan Barghouti, who was sentenced by an Israeli court to life in prison, as being larger than life

The participation of US President George W Bush in ceremonies in Normandy marking the 60th anniversary of D-Day, and the anti-war demonstrations that he received in Italy and France were occasions Arab commentators used to criticise US policies in Iraq.

In the London-based daily Al-Hayat Abdel- Wahab Badrakhan wrote on Saturday that Bush came to Europe amidst a spiritual-political crisis in the US that has corroded the "virtues" of his invasion of Iraq. According to Badrakhan, Bush was not up to the values of the event he is commemorating and drew a parallel between former US presidents who previously participated in the event to speak about peace, adopting the values and the lessons which Europeans learned from the horrors of war and, on the other hand, Bush who came to Europe to promote his war on Iraq. "[Bush went to Europe] on a public relations trip to court Europe in the hope of winning its support -- according to his conditions -- for his difficult situation in Iraq."

Badrakhan also criticised what he called Bush's inapt comparisons between the liberation of Europe and his "liberation" of Iraq and between the American role in standing up to the Nazis and imprudent US actions in its war against terrorism. According to Badrakhan, the Europeans are not buying Bush's "worn out comparisons which persuade nobody but his supporters".

While news of the approval of the Israeli cabinet of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's plan to pull out of Gaza and the proposed Egyptian security initiative that should follow were closely covered in the Arab media, it was the sentencing of Palestinian activist Marwan Barghouti to life imprisonment that concerned most Arab commentators. Nearly all of them wrote on the popularity of Barghouti as a national Palestinian hero whose legacy will continue to inspire thousands of Palestinians.

The editorial of the UAE newspaper Al-Khalij on Monday depicted Barghouti as "a living symbol of the Palestinian people's determination and right in resistance and living" the same way that thousands of Palestinian resistance fighters who are imprisoned in Israeli jails do. The editorial added: no wonder that after the verdict, Barghouti shouted that the Intifada will defeat the Israeli occupation. "Palestinian people have been engraving their legacy of resistance for more than half a century, and such a legacy is poised to win. This is a historical doctrine that can not be beaten by an aggression, oppression or occupation," Barghouti said.

Abdel-Rahman Al-Rashed said Israelis and the Palestinians alike were responsible for Barghouti's fate. In "Barghouti... the forgotten leader" issued on Sunday in the Saudi-run London-based Asharq Al-Awsat, Al-Rashed questioned the basis on which Israel held Barghouti responsible for the Intifada. "One cannot understand why Barghouti was solely held accountable for the Intifada... and for the killings of Israelis."

Al-Rashed also opened fire on the Palestinian side for failing to offer genuine support to Barghouti. He wrote that in all the times there have been talks about a prisoner swap with Israel, the Palestinian side refused to include Barghouti's name under various pretexts, including one that there were other Palestinian prisoners who stayed longer in Israeli jails. Thus Al-Rashed concludes that although Barghouti "has been treated unjustly by Israelis and ignored by Palestinian leaders, this man will be recalled in history not as a killer as the Israelis claim but as a freedom fighter."

With violence continuing unabated in Saudi Arabia, the issue of terrorism was the hot issue in the Saudi press. Articles focussed on means to combat terrorism in the kingdom, sources of such terrorism and the implication that they are being guided by foreign hands.

In a commentary on Friday in the Saudi newspaper Al-Riyadh, Nasser Al-Arami wrote about the necessity of draining all sources of terrorism in the kingdom as an important step to uproot the scourge. He gave credit to what he described "a major security success in the field" but called on Saudi authorities to adopt a comprehensive national security law that would allow security forces to monitor individuals who have left home to join militant groups and those who offer them sanctuary and support them financially and spiritually.

Most Saudi commentators supported calls by the authorities for society to play its role in combating the phenomenon.

In more than one article Saudis were asked to report any suspicious behaviour and Saudi families have been asked to contact the police if sons in the family have gone missing for fear that they might have left home to join militant organisations.

The Kuwaiti press reflected the controversy in the Gulf country over the right of women to vote and to stand in elections to the National Assembly. The Council of Ministers on Saturday approved a draft law granting Kuwaiti women their full political rights. The draft calls for the amendment of the first article of a 1962 election law which limits voting and contesting elections to "men over the age of 21", thus depriving women of their suffrage rights.

The bill will go to the National Assembly for approval soon. It must pass by a simple majority in the 50-member chamber. Kuwaiti rights activists hailed the move as they recalled the 1999 rejection of a similar bill. Kuwaiti MPs, mostly Islamists, have denied such rights as being against Islamic Sharia .

Renowned Jordanian Sheikh Mohamed Al- Ashqar, in the Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Watan, refuted allegations that women cannot run for parliament. He said all fatwas that deny women the right to rule are issued by a saying by the prophet which though popular, its authenticity Al-Ashqar doubts. He also cited verses from the Qur'an praising the queen of Sheeba who ruled in Yemen.

According to Al-Hayat newspaper, Al-Ashqar's fatwa in Kuwait caused mixed reaction even among Islamists who greatly respect the sheikh. While some MPs such as Walid Al-Tabtabaai rejected Al-Ashqar's assertion, the Kuwaiti Muslim Brotherhood decided to reconsider their stance.

Al-Hayat also reported that "supporters of the full political rights of women are hopeful that Al- Ashqar's views would encourage some reluctant liberal MPs to vote for the bill."