An Event and a Regional Tendency

The Israeli condensed aggressions on Gaza, which started this morning, reflect the size of Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert’s comfort in the aftermath of Sharm el-Sheikh meeting, because holding this summit under the title of a Palestinian schism between Fateh and Hamas represented a dream that Israel failed to achieve on the ground since the Oslo agreement and the beginning of the stick and carrot game, when President Yasser Arafat’s stand was firm in his rejection of any US-Israeli and Arab assistance in any internal Palestinian conflict and this was the reason for the siege, which was imposed on the late president and assassinating him in suspicious circumstances.
The problem of Abbas and Fayyad lies in that they are facing the test of their ability to confront the resistance factions in the West Bank, including al-Qasa martyrs’ battalions, which contain the best resistance men from Fath.
Sharm el-Sheikh meeting tried to reverse the arrangement of Palestinian priorities and the stage today has the title of the destiny of Palestinian resistance as an option to extract rights in the face of bargains and alliances that work to get rid of resistance without any guarantee, even if it is rhetoric, related to rights.
The question to be posed is: Can Abbas give Israel what was rejected by Arafat and remain acceptable to Palestinians?
Some Arab observers think that Abbas will not pass the Israeli test or succeed in eliminating resistance.

An Event and a Lebanese Tendency

The loyals continue their accusations against Syria concerning Nahr al-Bared clashes, Tripoli’s events and the aggression on the Unifil forces.
This campaign seemed in the last two days as if it is contradicting the new realities revealed by latest developments:
– 1 What was announced by minister of defense Elias Al-Murr about the existence of 40 prisoners who belong to Al-Qaeda and include Saudis, Yemenis, Bengalis in addition to Syrian’s, Lebanese and Jordanians, indicates Al-Qaeda’s presence.
– 2 Any serious observer knows that accusing Syria of this attack on the Spanish forces is illogical because Spain is the only European state that refused to boycott Syria when Washington demanded this from all its allies, and foreign minister Moratinus challenged the US ban and visited Damascus. This proves that the sides which stand behind the attack wanted to deal a deadly blow to Syrian-Spanish relations in order to close Madrid’s gate at a time when Condoleeza Rice was working to close Paris’s gate.
– 3 Experts in Western press argue that the CIA works to transfer that weight of Al-Qaeda fighters’ activity outside Iraq and to other countries in order to allow the US forces to re-arrange their presence in Iraq before the end of next September.
Such analysis circulated a few months ago when explosions targeted Morocco and Algeria. They moved today to Lebanon which became a new field for the US war on Al-Qaeda.

Arab Press

Al-Sharq al-Awsat said there is a difference between the US and French stands concerning the current and next stages in Lebanon. The paper pointed out that this difference appeared after Prime Minister Fouad al-Siniora’s meeting with US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, which said to the French that the US stands are different from the stands that France defends in Lebanon which call for forming a unity government and involving some sides of the Lebanese opposition like Hezbollah.
Press sources said investigations into the attack on the Unifil force revealed that some technical and security signs and data’s consider that Al-Qaeda’s involvement is more probable.
The UN independent mission’s report on the condition of the Lebanese-Syrian borders stressed the necessity of deploying international observers to help Lebanese security forces and issued recommendations summarized as follows:
– Establishing a mobile force that concentrates on weapon’s smuggling.
– Establishing a secret intelligence and analysis unit.
– Establishing guards agency.
– Complete control of the crossings.
– Enhancing force in the air and sea and surveillance equipment.
– Cooperating with the Syrians to achieve this.
The Emirate paper Al-Khaleej said Sharm el-Sheikh summit did not lead to any tangible results and its goals were known from the beginning.
Reuter quoted a high-ranking Israeli official as saying that Palestinians asked Jordan to transfer Badr brigade to the West Bank.
Al-Khaleej paper’s editorial added that Abbas also asked Israel to allow transferring the brigade to the West Bank.
Al-Ahram quoted Egyptian ambassador in Jeddah as saying that president Abdallah Ben Abdul Aziz focused on Palestinian issue and Lebanese crisis.

International Press

Peter Schweizer, the researcher in Hoover Institution of Stanford said the US should not attack Iran with bombs, but it should deal a deadly blow to its economy.
The Israeli paper Ha’aretz said Abbas and Fayyad have no control over Gaza, adding that Sharm el-Sheikh meeting offered an Arab support to Abbas which will strangle him.
On its part, Ma’ariv said that Hamas will receive the grants while Abbas can not make peace because he is weak.

Television News in Lebanon

The NTV wondered if the FBI provided Lebanese security forces with fresh information about the moving terrorism from the north to the south, while the NBN said the opposition team concentrated on enhancing the internal front as a priority in the face of the big challenges until revealing what Fouad al-Siniora brought with him from Paris.
On its part, the LBC said Fouad al-Siniora got through his meetings in Paris a French-US and international commitment to the continuity of the Unifil forces’ work in Lebanon despite Sunday attack.
The Future TV quoted Arab League secretary general Amr Moussa as saying that his mission in Lebanon did not fail, but failure was apparent in the political stand in Lebanon.

Television Interviews in Lebanon

LBC
Program: With all the Courage
Representative Walid Jumblatt said either Lebanon clings to the truce agreement through a defensive strategy that includes Hezbollah or the South will remain open to all the adventures. He described those who demand a second government as criminals and traitors, stressing that the Lebanese state and army are the guarantee for stability and preserving institutions and resistance.
Jumblatt also wondered about the way of the booby-trapped car’s entrance to South Lebanon and why?