Doha’s actions and statements reflect uneasiness
The Qatari crisis and the hardship of people in Gaza and the West Bank were the topics that dominated headlines in the region’s newspapers T he problem of the four Arab states that decided to confront Qatar is not represented in obliging Doha to meet their 13 demands, but, it’s in Qatar’s credibility and guaranteeing what it says, signs and pledges, noted the Londonbased pan-Arab paper Asharq Al Awsat. “We do not know of a single agreement that Qatar signed and complied with. Even with the mediation of someone as significant and influential as the United States president, it will be no surprise if Qatar later violates what it pledges in ending its interferences in its neighbours’ affairs and its support of extremist and armed groups. It is normal for a regime that harbours these contradictions to adopt deceit as a policy and sign pledges and then violate them. It is also normal for no one to trust it. This is the upcoming challenge: How can we guarantee what Doha’s authorities pledge, especially since immediately following US President Donald Trump’s mediation, it began to distort facts related to the negotiations over an agreement?”
Doha’s actions and statements clearly reflect the uneasiness of its regime, wrote the UAE’s Al Bayan. “Fabrications and lies pertaining to the call between the Qatari emir and Prince Mohammad Bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince, indicate that Qatar is not willing to negotiate. This is because Qatar is well aware that the anti-terror quartet will not go back on its demands, and that negotiations will merely revolve around mechanisms for implementing them. Qatar claims that it is not affected by the boycott, and that its economic, political and social conditions are stable. Meanwhile, the Arab and global media continue to report on scandals that involve Doha’s regime and its support for terrorism, and the forecasts seem quite dire for Qatar’s economy and political future.”
Vicious Israeli wars
According to recent United Nations reports, Gaza has become a sinking boat, with poverty, unemployment and environmental concerns reaching unprecedented dangerous levels, said the Jordan Times. “When the people of Gaza have no opportunities to work, to rebuild their homes destroyed by vicious Israeli wars on the hapless population, or to educate their children, there can hardly be any hope that peace could be reached. Ninety-five per cent of the drinking water is reportedly polluted ... Israel continues to ignore warnings and voices of sanity, pushing Gaza’s people to the brink.”
Israel violates the universal right to education and contravenes its international obligations as an occupying power, wrote the Saudi Gazette. “Lest anyone think that Palestinian frustration and rage are the result of incitement alone, when a total of 55 West Bank schools are currently threatened with demolition and ‘stop-work’ orders, and school facilities in four Palestinian communities were destroyed just before the beginning of the new school year. Palestinians take education seriously; enrolment rates among Palestinians are relatively high compared to regional and global standards and the national literacy rate is 91.1 per cent. Israel is not just tearing down Palestinian schools. The European Union says about 100 structures — homes, shelters, water networks, as well as schools — in the West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem — have been demolished or seized over the past year.”