~~GULFWIRE~~VOICES OF THE REGION~~WEEKLY ARAB PRESS REVIEW~~WEEK OFNOVEMBER 11, 2002~~ (fwd)

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

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Date: Tue, 12 Nov 2002 22:41:49 -0600
From: GulfWire e-Newsletters <GulfWire@arabialink.com>
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Subject: ~~GULFWIRE~~VOICES OF THE REGION~~WEEKLY ARAB PRESS REVIEW~~WEEK
    OF NOVEMBER 11, 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 NOVEMBER 11, 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:  Early elections in Israel

The Middle East last week was the scene of two major events: the first in
Turkey where the Justice and Development Party took the lead in the
legislative elections, and the second in Israel where early elections were
announced.

Rajeh Al-Khouri, writer and analyst for An-Nahar newspaper (Lebanon, Nov.
5), said that Benjamin Netanyahu accepted the position of Israeli Foreign
Minister with the agenda of "destroying efforts to reach a settlement with
the Palestinians and returning to the policy of peace by coercion that he
tried to impose when he was prime minister in 1996, in order to undermine
all accomplished agreements and to kick Ariel Sharon out of the leadership
of the Likud party and the government."  Al-Khouri believes that meeting
Netanyahu's conditions means that "the alliance between the Zionists and the
new Republicans in Washington would push the war with Iraq into broader
directions to include other areas and other states."  He added that if the
time is set in Washington for war against Iraq, then the new leadership in
Tel Aviv (with Sharon, Netanyahu, and Mofaz) is making this fact even more
evident.

Writer Abdelwahab Badrakhane said in Al-Hayat newspaper (London, Nov. 7),
that "everything necessary for war with Iraq is now ready in the United
States and in Israel, and the Security Council will not impede their
eagerness. Developments in Israel have aborted all international efforts
including those deployed by the Quartet.  The Palestinian elections will
remain impossible under occupation and Palestinians will have to wait not
only until the end of Israeli elections but also until the end of the war in
Iraq.  In the meantime, Sharon, Netanyahu and Mofaz will continue their war
against the Palestinian Authority and its institutions."

Lebanese writer Abdelkarim Abu Al-Nasr said in Al-Watan newspaper (Saudi
Arabia, Nov. 2), that he did not expect any real change in Israeli political
life after the collapse of the coalition government, as the Israelis have
closed all doors to dialogue since Sharon came to power.  "The real
decision- makers, the Americans, do not want to break open these doors to
save the Palestinians from occupation and save the Israelis from their own
aggressive policy."

Egyptian writer Atef Al-Ghamri said in Al-Ahram newspaper (Egypt, Oct. 30),
that the group leading the U.S. administration's foreign policy seeks a
crucial position for Israel in the region after war against Iraq.

Kuwait Liberal MP Ahmad Al-Rubei warned in Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper
(London, Nov. 3), that the Israeli government, which will group warmongers
and criminals like Netanyahu, Lieberman, and leaders of the Russian Jews in
the Knesset, will also include a number of Israeli politicians who believe
in the need for the collective "transfer" of Palestinians and for using
Israeli air force in attacks on different states in the Middle East and on
Iran. Al-Rubei said that "Sharon's new government will be like a car without
brakes.  It can hit anything in its way.  It is also a government that does
not care about the reactions of the different states of the world, as long
as the world's board chairman (President Bush) believes Sharon is a man of
peace and fully supports his policies."

An editorial in Al-Ahram newspaper (Egypt, Nov. 4), said that "the coming
Israeli coalition of the Likud party and small far-right and religious
parties, led by Sharon, will be the most extremist and aggressive government
in the history of the Jewish state."

An editorial in Al-Khaleej newspaper (United Arab Emirates, Nov. 4), said
that "instead of Sharon being able to annihilate the Intifada, the Intifada
is instead besieging him and is about to destroy his political career."

Damascus-based Palestinian writer Majed Kayali said in Al-Hayat newspaper
(London, Nov. 3), that "the decision of the Israeli Labor Party to leave the
government is due to a political reading of the coming period that shows
that Sharon's extreme right government is unable to deal with the
anticipated regional and international developments."  He added that there
are also some U.S. indications in this same direction, coupled with the fact
that Sharon's popularity has been fading in recent months due to his
inability to ensure peace and security for Israelis."  The Labor Party has
jumped off Sharon's ship before it sinks, but a government led by Sharon and
a grouping of far-right and extremist religious parties will be dangerous
for the region in the coming months preceding the early elections, added
Kayali.

Jordanian writer Mahmoud Al-Rimawi said in Al-Rai newspaper (Jordan, Nov.
2), that the Americans are uneasy with Sharon who, during his latest visit
to Washington, told his host that he was not committed to the U.S. roadmap
for a Middle East settlement.  "The Labor Party's ministers read the signals
of U.S. discontent with Israel and took advantage of this to submit their
resignation," said Rimawi.

Jordanian writer Mustafa Muhammad Al-Far said in Al-Dostour newspaper
(Jordan, Nov. 5), that the resignation of the Labor Party ministers was a
tactical withdrawal in order to not be accountable for the worst economic
crisis in the history of Israel, and to make Sharon the scapegoat of any
blame if early elections take place.

========================================================================
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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