~~GULFWIRE~~VOICES OF THE REGION -- WEEKLY ARAB PRESS REVIEW~~WEEKOF OCTOBER 14, 2002 (fwd)

["Clement M. Henry" <chenry@mail.la.utexas.edu>]

Useful backgrond info for you from Gulfwire.

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Clement M. Henry
Professor of Government
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Austin TX 78712
tel 471-5121, fax 471-1061

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Subject: ~~GULFWIRE~~VOICES OF THE REGION -- WEEKLY ARAB PRESS REVIEW~~WEEK
    OF OCTOBER 14, 2002

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 ***** GULFWIRE ~~ VOICES OF THE REGION ~ WEEKLY ARAB PRESS REVIEW ******
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           THE NATIONAL COUNCIL ON U.S.-ARAB RELATIONS AND
            THE U.S.-GCC CORPORATE COOPERATION COMMITTEE

    THE CENTER FOR STRATEGIC AND FUTURE STUDIES, KUWAIT UNIVERSITY

                      WEEK OF OCTOBER 14, 2002

=========================================================================
   COMMENTS AND REACTIONS OF ARAB OP-ED WRITERS IN ARABIC NEWSPAPERS ON
                  PREVAILING NEWS ISSUES IN THE ARAB WORLD
=========================================================================
THE WEEKLY ARAB PRESS REVIEW IS A PRODUCTION OF THE CENTER FOR STRATEGIC AND
FUTURE STUDIES, KUWAIT UNIVERSITY AND IS REPRINTED HERE WITH PERMISSION
=========================================================================
THE VIEWS CONTAINED IN THESE ITEMS DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE VIEWS OF
       GULFWIRE OR THE NATIONAL COUNCIL ON U.S.-ARAB RELATIONS
=========================================================================

Weekly Arab Press Review

The Center for Strategic and Future Studies
Kuwait University

The following report reviews the comments and reactions of Arab op-ed
writers in a selection of 13 Arabic newspapers, on the prevailing news
issues in the Arab world each week.

This week s issue: The Jerusalem legislation, in relation to the U.S.-Iraq
Campaign

President Bush's signing of the $4 billion State Department authorization
Bill earlier this month, a legislation that declared Jerusalem to be the
capital of Israel, has generated strong reaction and criticism from the Arab
world.

Ibrahim Nafea, Chairman of the Arab Journalists Union and Chairman of the
Egyptian Journalists Union wrote in Al-Ahram newspaper (Egypt, Oct. 7), that
Bush signed the legislation under pressure exerted by the Jewish lobbies in
Congress, stressing that the decision was "dangerous" for U.S. interests.
"I do not know how the government of the United States can sacrifice its
relations with several peoples for the sake of one small country.  The U.S.
decision will open the doors to hell not only in the Middle East but in all
Muslim states, as 1.5 billion Muslims will not stay tight-lipped over the
Judaization of their holy shrines, although the U.S. administration believes
the Middle East conflict is merely a dispute for land."

Syrian writer Muhammad Jamal Barout said in an article in Al-Watan newspaper
(Saudi Arabia, Oct. 10), that the U.S. legislation "means the eventual
launching of Sharon's plan to completely annex Jerusalem and cast this issue
away from the long-term status talks.  It is also an attempt to impose a
fait accompli before establishing any interim Palestinian state with
temporary borders, which Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon will try to
turn into permanent ones.  But playing with the issue of Jerusalem is like
playing with matches in a gunpowder factory, as the upcoming months will
prove."

Palestinian-Jordanian Islamic intellectual Munir Shafiq said in Al-Hayat
newspaper (London, Oct. 8), that the U.S. Jerusalem Law goes beyond the
military developments in Palestine and that "the decision to reoccupy the
West Bank and suspend the Palestinian Authority's functions is a strategic
and not a security decision.  The reoccupation is the result of the new U.S.
strategy, which is apparently meant to shift the war from Afghanistan to
Palestine, Iraq and other Arab countries."

Jordanian writer Mahmoud Al-Rimawi said in Al-Rai newspaper (Jordan, Oct.
5), that Arab states were the first to offer complete cooperation in
Washington' s war against terrorism.  However, the United States has
returned this favor by setting loose the biggest of all terrorists, Sharon,
and targeting Iraq as a prelude to the U.S.-Israeli alliance to share
control of the Middle East.

Writer Salamah Ahmad Salamah said in Al-Ahram newspaper (Egypt, Oct. 5),
that the U.S. administration is taking rapid steps "as if racing against
time
towards the destruction of its relations with the Arab and Muslim worlds…
It is complaining of the growing hatred and anger against the United States
in the Arab world while sparing no effort to fuel this anger… most probably
to justify its hostile war on Iraq, while brushing aside the international
unanimity against the war and undermining U.N. efforts to ensure the return
of weapons inspectors."  He described the Jerusalem legislation as a "deal
with the Jewish lobby to get the approval of Congress for strikes on Iraq."

Lebanese writer Salim Nassar, said in An-Nahar newspaper and in Al-Hayat
newspaper (Lebanon and London, respectively, Oct 6), that by signing the
legislation, "Bush has in effect recognized Israel's right to make Jerusalem
an eternal and unified capital, since even his presidential veto cannot
defeat a two-thirds majority in Congress.  The Jewish lobby thus guaranteed
Bush the support of the House to use force against Iraq in exchange for
signing the legislation, and gave Sharon free reign in declaring Jerusalem a
unified capital of Israel."

Saudi writer Zine El-Abidine Al-Rikabi said in Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper
(London, Oct. 5), that "the U.S. legislation is in breach of international
law and has undermined the legitimacy of the United Nations by disregarding
the clear and decisive U.N. resolutions on this issue.  There is no doubt
that some spiteful people in the United States want a religious war between
the United States and the Muslim world, and also want Jerusalem to become
the battlefield of this terrible religious conflict."

Writer George Haddad wrote in Al-Dustoor newspaper (Jordan, Oct. 6), that
The Judaization of Jerusalem is "a very, very, very serious and meaningful
matter.  It is more than just occupying and usurping a city and displacing
its inhabitants and owners.  It is deeper and more comprehensive; it is the
return to the epoch of anarchy and ignorance."

Writer Bater Muhammad Atti Mardam said in Al-Dustoor newspaper (Jordan, Oct.
6), that "Bush has signed a most dangerous legislation, for it involves the
United States as a major and biased party in the religious conflict for
Jerusalem.  The U.S. administration and Congress, Democrats and Republicans
alike, have carried out an act of war against the whole Muslim world: a war
against Islamic beliefs."

Columnist Abdelwahab Badrakhane said in Al-Hayat newspaper (London, Oct. 7),
that "the relation between the issues of Iraq and Palestine is no longer a
secret or mere allegations by the Iraqi regime.  In the aftermath of
Sharon's
destruction of the peace process, the war on Iraq would radically change the
map of the Middle East.  Thus, Israel's security would no longer be based on
the need for Israeli concessions, as this would instead be achieved through
the restructuring of the entire region."

========================================================================
ABOUT THE CENTER FOR STRATEGIC AND FUTURE STUDIES

Established in the year 2000, the Center for Strategic and Future Studies is
an independent Kuwaiti think-tank affiliated with Kuwait University.  The
governing body is a Board of Trustees comprised of 11 members from both
within and outside the university, representing a wide range of experience
and expertise in the public and private spheres.  Its focus is on major and
current strategic issues relating to Kuwait, the Gulf region, and the Middle
East.  The center seeks to build awareness and encourage debate on sensitive
issues, primarily in the realm of East/West discussions and strategic
issues.
In this capacity, the center tries to reach out to non-Islamic and non-Arab
nations and cultures in the spirit of debate, understanding, and mutual
tolerance.  In doing so, our activities include: conferences, seminars,
roundtable discussions, publications, media analyses, and large-scale E-mail
distributions of our reports and studies.

Center for Strategic and Future Studies
Kuwait University
Director:  Dr. Shafeeq Ghabra
Media & Research Coordinator: Farah Al-Nakib

Tel : (+965) 483-4197
Fax : (+965) 482-4645

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EDITOR'S COMMENT
GulfWire does not take an editorial position on the issues and opinions
reported here and aims to remain objective in coverage of developments in
the Arab Gulf states. However, it is important that among the insights we
provide, we bring the reality of contemporary opinion in the Gulf even if it
is sometimes stinging to the targets of its criticism.  We hope to
illuminate not infuriate. For those who rely on an understanding of
developments in the region to ignore the reality of public and official
sentiments in the Gulf is to move forward in these relationships at their
peril.

Patrick W. Ryan
Editor-in-Chief, GulfWire
========================================================================

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