Arab Press: Strip of news

With under a month to go before the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, news from the strip is coming thick and fast, writes Alaa Abdel-Ghani

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There was no avoiding it. Israeli troops massing along the borders of the Gaza Strip for a possible assault; Palestinian infighting turning deadly; the killing of several Hamas members; activists continuing to fire rockets on Jewish settlements; and the biggest showdown yet between Israeli protesters of the Gaza pullout and security forces -- all ensured that the Palestinian- Israeli conflict remained the week's talking point.

The violence between Israeli forces and activists sparked fears for the future of the conditional truce agreed by Palestinian groups in Cairo five months ago. "Those who are breaching the Cairo agreement want to drag the occupation into a military intervention against the Palestinians by using rockets that cannot liberate even a single inch of our homeland," Youssef Al-Qazaz wrote in the Palestinian Al-Hayat Al-Jadidah.

"Our people hope Hamas will be persuaded there is a national majority in favour of the calm and an Israeli pullout from any Palestinian land."

"The Cairo agreement is an overriding national interest, and its breach by any militant faction should be rejected clearly and sternly," wrote Yehya Al-Rabah in Al-Hayat Al-Jadidah.

In the Palestinian Al-Ayyam, Jawad Al-Bashiti had this to say: "Every Palestinian should recognise the [Palestinian Authority's] efforts to prevent the Israeli pullout from turning into the destruction of Gaza.

"The lawlessness and loss of direction we are going through today is like nothing we have experienced before... The Palestinian people and cause are paying the price... The Palestinian Authority's institutions are incapable of fulfilling their duties to implement the law... The time has come to end all forms of lawlessness and chaos, no matter under which slogans they hide."

In the Palestinian Al-Quds : "The Israeli authorities have assassinated a number of Palestinian activists in the past few days, which shows they are no longer committed to the truce. This is a dangerous escalation which will lead to a deterioration in relations between the Palestinian groups."

There was more from Al-Quds : "An effective resistance is not measured in weeks or months. It is rather a lifestyle that does not tolerate injustice and corruption... Nor is it measured by the number of casualties in the enemy's ranks. Rather, it is measured by the steps undertaken in the interests of future generations."

Fears were expressed that Palestinian infighting would play into the hands of the Israelis and could give them an excuse to delay the Gaza withdrawal.

"The bloody clashes between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority come just weeks before the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. The danger of these clashes is not the timing. Rather, it is the message they are sending out and what Israel stands to gain from them," wrote Saudi Arabia's Al-Watan.

From Qatar's Al-Rayah : "Israel is the sole beneficiary of the clashes in Gaza between Palestinian Authority forces and Hamas."

"We must not remain silent over what is happening in the occupied Palestinian territories between the Palestinian Authority and some factions, as it represents the self- destruction of the Palestinian cause," stated the United Arab Emirates' Al-Khaleej.

In Jordan's Al-Dustur : "Palestinian blood must not be shed. The Palestinian Authority and Hamas must create an environment conducive to mediation. This is necessary if the biggest danger -- that of a bloody confrontation between them -- is to be averted."

And in Saudi Arabia's Al-Jaziraa : "It is now almost a decade since the Palestinian territories last witnessed this kind of fighting. Palestinians hoped that this was an era to which they would not be returning. This is a major setback for unified Palestinian action, which had started to achieve some results."

Palestinian commentators fretted that inter-Palestinian attacks play into Israel's hands and could benefit settlers seeking to stop Israel's planned withdrawal from Palestinian territory. A commentary in Al-Quds said, "Lawlessness is like a prodigal son. If no limits are put on it, it will eat up everything. Nothing will remain intact. We should not be afraid of infighting and civil war to eradicate it."

A snap on-line poll conducted by the London-based Al-Quds Al-Arabi asked respondents who was responsible for inter- Palestinian fighting. Those who said the PA were 43.3 per cent, Hamas 42.9 per cent, and Israel 13.8 per cent.

Newspapers continued to cover the London bombings, many believing the discovery that the suspects were British-born Muslims reveals "a new side of terrorism". One paper says Britain has become "a breeding ground for Al-Qaeda terror". Other papers warned of a backlash in the wake of the blasts, with some saying that reprisals against Muslims had already begun.

"London, the home of one of the most firmly established democracies in the world, has become the place where terrorist organisations, groups and parties gather... The city of mist has become the city of terror." So said the Saudi Al-Riyadh. "The recent bombings in London showed that terrorism is not restricted only to Afghanistan and Iraq but can now target even the most secure place in the world."

In Al-Quds Al-Arabi : "The British government's adoption of every US policy on the occupation of Iraq... has endangered the British people and brought terrorism to the streets of London."

"The London bombings prove once again that international terrorism knows no boundaries and stops at nothing," Iraq's Al-Bayan said in an editorial. "Regardless of whether it does or does not take Islam as a cover for its atrocious designs, international terrorism has come to target all countries indiscriminately."

Jordan's Al-Ra'i made a similar point. "One can call or say anything about Tony Blair, or describe George Bush's policies as state terrorism, but one cannot justify in any way the criminal and ferocious acts which were committed on 7 July against the public transport system in London and before that in Madrid and on 11 September."

Under the headline, "Resistance for whom? Jihad for what?" Salameh Nemat in the London-based Al-Hayat wrote: "The terrorist targeting of Britain is not linked to the US presence in Iraq. If the goal of the killers was to strike against the countries taking part in the occupation to force them to withdraw, then they would not have targeted Istanbul last year, since Turkey did not send troops to Iraq but opposed the war and forbade US forces from going into Iraq via its territories. The same applies to Saudi Arabia, Morocco and Lebanon, which are all countries that opposed the war on Iraq, but still are targeted by the same terrorism that seems to hit wherever possible without any political logic unless the aim is sheer destruction or the pleasure of shedding innocent people's blood, just as Al-Qaeda is currently doing in Iraq...

"The only common point between the killers is that they all hide behind the veil of Islam while they are in fact its prime enemies."