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Israel's West Bank wall is being built to protect Israelis from warring Palestinians. Nabil Abu Hamad in the Saudi-funded daily Al-Hayat

"People sometimes assume that democracy is simply a question of elections... however, in reality the main feature of a vibrant democracy is the conduction of dialogue in the context of respecting the others' views." -- Ahmed Nazif, Al-Masri Al-Yom

"If we believe the explanation of the Egyptian ambassador to the United States, that Gamal Mubarak's presence in Washington was in order to renew his flying licence, then perhaps he popped in to see President Bush to waive the fine for traffic violations." -- Bilal Fadl, Al-Dostour

"Why doesn't the Egyptian cinema veil like the Iranian cinema?" -- Hanan Turk, Nahdat Misr

"Israel, in the wake of peace treaties and as a result of globalisation, is an accepted and welcomed face not only in those countries that it signed peace treaties with but by almost all Arab countries." -- Hassan Ali Karam , Al-Watan

"The fact of the matter is that Israel is simply a state that you cannot unilaterally end the state of war with." -- Wessam Saada, As-Safir

"The Security Council seems to be engaged in an effort aimed at issuing a resolution to force all Arab countries to recognise and establish diplomatic relations with Israel in accordance with the vision proposed in the famous UN Security Council Resolution 242." -- Abdallah El-Ashaal, Al-Hayat