Arab reconciliation with a Turkish draft

Dr Wahid Abdul-Majid, a regular columnist for the UAE's independent newspaper Al Ittihad, wrote that some Arabs do not appreciate the Turkish attempt to contribute to the ongoing efforts aimed at stopping the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip. Some object for nationalistic reasons, saying Arab reconciliation should not be reached in Turkish. "My attitude is that the issue is not a linguistic one, as it concerns the extent of the divisions between those considered to be radicals and the others described as moderates," he wrote."These divisions have reached a new peak, after it was thought that the summit that they reached during the war on Lebanon in 2006 was the highest peak ever." Iran is an essential part of the crisis of Arab division, yet it too is not Arab. "Ankara is now the only faction in the region that can apply pressure on Israel, especially after it expressed willingness to do so since the first minute of the aggression, when it threatened to end its mediation effort in the indirect negotiations between Tel Aviv and Damascus," Abdul-Majid wrote.

Dr Hassan Abdullah Abbas, a regular columnist for Kuwait's independent newspaper Al Rai al Aam, wrote that some Arab governments have held Iran responsible for the bloodshed in the Gaza Strip. "The general context of the attitude of what is known as the moderate Arab countries has been very negative towards Gaza. Those leaders have managed to achieve nothing at all, except to lose more ground and allow more people to be driven out of their homes. Compared to this record, the Iranians have presented enough services to the Arab street to ensure that they are appreciated and have a warm welcome," Abbas wrote. "Thus the answer that these governments will not tolerate is that it is only natural for the Persian tide to infiltrate the Arab body, because Arab regimes are in a deep sleep."

Khaled al Ghanami, a regular columnist for Saudi Arabia's pro-government newspaper Al Watan, wrote that media wars play an essential part of every military conflict. "For example, when the Israelis started sending warplanes to slaughter our men, women and children in Gaza, they launched, along with the missiles, a worldwide media campaign to justify their crimes," he wrote. Arab journalists must send out a clear message: "We stand with Gaza heart and soul, those bombs raining down on the heads of the inhabitants of Gaza are raining down on our hearts as well, so beware the fury of the volcano," Al Ghanami wrote. "Such a message and attitude will undoubtedly have a major effect and will contribute towards pushing Israel to review its calculations a thousand times."

"The political and media losses Israel is facing due to its brutal aggression on Gaza are clearer than its military losses," Taher al Adwan wrote in an opinion piece for Jordan's independent newspaper Al Arab al Yawm. Its chief loss is the revitalisation of the Palestinian cause on the international and Arab arenas, followed by the entrance of Turkey into the fray. "Secular Turkey, which used to be a cornerstone in the American-Israeli-Turkish alliance in the Middle East, is abandoning the frameworks of this alliance and is exceeding the positions of all the Arab states together," he wrote. Israel's attack on Gaza will fail to achieve its political and military goals, Adwan wrote. "Furthermore, Turkey will move from an Israeli ally to a country that opposes its policies and occupation, thus reinforcing the rejectionist camp against Israel." * Digest compiled by www.mideastwire.com