‘ The peace process has failed’
Developments on the Palestinian issue and growing tensions with Iran were the focus of newspapers across the region this week There
are no disagreements between Fatah and Hamas, or any other Palestinian faction, when it comes to the issue of Palestinian prisoners, Qatar’s Al Sharq newspaper observed.
“Collective work is required when it comes to the prisoner issue. Marches and festivals that call for alleviating the suffering of prisoners were organised in all cities in the West Bank and Gaza. All factions called for these marches and festivals to be organised. The Palestinian National Council has called for transferring the case of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails to the International Criminal Court ( ICC), in order to hold Israel accountable for its crimes against humanity and prisoners. This is a reasonable request that must be made a reality by forming a legislative national committee in cooperation with global rights groups to prepare the Palestinian prisoners case and file it with the ICC,” the paper said.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas indicated that Palestine would seek to annul the Paris Protocol, as well as anything related to relations with Israel. This is not an unprecedented move. However, the fact that such a statement was made during Abbas’s visit to Moscow makes it all the more significant, said UAE’s Al Bayan.
“In light of Israeli violations and the fact that the peace process has stumbled and deviated from terms agreed upon in the Oslo Accord, Palestinian officials have diligently worked on threatening the Israelis, first through cancelling security cooperation between Palestine and the occupation forces, and then through the cancellation of agreements and dissolution of the Palestinian [ National] Authority. Every observer knows that the peace process has failed, or rather has been thwarted by Israel ... Since then, no political issues have been resolved; colonies have not been dismantled and a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital has not been established.”
Commenting on the issue, Oman’s Al Watan said that it was both excruciating and disheart- ening that the Israeli occupiers are committing robbery in broad daylight just as the Palestinians mark the occasion of Prisoners’ Day.
“Israel passed the Absentee Property law, which will be enforced in the West Bank and Occupied Jerusalem. The obnoxious and racist law allows the confiscation of properties of Palestinians who were driven out of their land due to Israel’s evil racism and terrorism in 1948. This dangerous law will consequently lead to the confiscation of property in an unlawful manner and without justification. This law is basically another step approved by Israel for achieving the Talmudic dream for the ‘ Judaisation of the State’ or of ‘ Greater Israel’ with support from colonising nations of that time.”
On the Iranian issue, pan- Arab newspaper Asharq Al Awsat said that Iran’s first acquisition after signing the draft nuclear deal, amid promises to lift sanctions, were not cars, air planes, refrigerators or women’s purses but long- range missiles. “Strategically, the missile deal may not alter Iran’s regional power, but it will surely have a subsequent effect. As for the Gulf states, they have different calculations than Israel. Tel Aviv has the nuclear and conventional power to destroy Iran in a day in the event of a war ... The S- 300 missiles may weaken the ability of the Gulf’s main force, as Gulf air power had significantly outstripped Iran’s in the past.”