Doaa El-Bey covers Obama's upcoming visit to Egypt and Netanyahu's consistent foiling of attempts to revive the peace process In spite of the diplomatic efforts to revive peace negotiations in the Middle East, Binyamin Netanyahu seems to ruin every chance that comes along. Yahia Rabah wrote that the Middle East will witness active diplomacy starting with Netanyahu's visit to Egypt last Monday to US President Barack Obama's visit, also to Egypt, on 4 June. More important, the Palestinian file will be the core of that diplomacy. However, in order for the Palestinians to top the list of priorities, Rabah called on them to find a mechanism to overcome their differences through national dialogue and the formation of a national unity government, one that would take the peace process from a state of stagnation to a new horizon. Rabah ruled out the government resolving all the Palestinians' problems, but its formation is inevitable at present. It would last until the election early next year, but without it, any agreement reached in the Cairo dialogue would be mere assumptions that cannot be achieved. The government will also bow to international conditions, but the writer saw no shame in that because even big states sometimes bow to international pressure. "The present active international diplomacy needs a Palestinian partner. Under the present division, we cannot be an efficient partner. That is why Israel is trying to deepen our division forever. Given that reality on the ground, what are we going to do in the next round of talks?" Rabah asked in the Palestinian political daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida. The Qatari daily Al-Raya agreed that the only option before the Palestinians is reconciliation. Israel declared that it will not abide by the two-state solution and imposed new conditions like Palestinian recognition of Israel as a Jewish state. Meanwhile, the Arabs espoused a clear stand in support of the Arab initiative and the US stand that calls for the two-state solution according to the road map and Annapolis agreements. Thus the Palestinians are supposed to realise that in order for Arab and international support to last, they are supposed to unite their ranks. And unity can only be achieved if the factions give up their private interests for the sake of the nation. "A strong Arab stand behind the Arab initiative depends on a united Palestinian stand," the editorial read. The United Arab Emirates daily Al-Bayan wrote that since the formation of Netanyahu's government, it is offering the Arabs various dishes that have the taste of war as if a prelude to military confrontation. Netanyahu declared that Israel will never give up the Golan Heights because it places Israel in a better strategic position should it engage in war with Syria. Thus he is delivering a clear message: Israel is ready to start negotiations with Syria without pledging to withdraw from the Golan. Netanyahu's government applies the same rules with the Palestinians as Lieberman declared clearly and simply that his government is negotiating "peace for peace" with the Palestinians. "The hardline approach by Netanyahu's government is not for the purpose of manoeuvring but a reflection of its opposition to any peaceful settlement. Obama's declaration that he supports the two-state solution is not enough without a strong Arab stand," the editorial concluded. Ali Qassim wrote that Netanyahu's government is following the policies of building more settlements and the deliberate foiling of any chances for peace until the whole region explodes in consequence. The writer said it was not a coincidence that Netanyahu declared building at least nine biblical theme parks around Jerusalem in his attempt to judaise the city. The UN secretary-general's repeated denunciation of the demolishing of Palestinian houses and building more settlements in occupied East Jerusalem is not enough. Other parties seem indifferent or at least waiting for pledges to revive the peace process to be met. But "when Jerusalem becomes the aim and end for Natanyahu, it simply means that he is planting mines in the face of peace so that achieving it becomes extremely difficult if not impossible," Qassim wrote in the Syrian political daily Al-Thawra. Pope Benedict's visit to the region was a controversial issue this week. Helmi El-Asmar wrote about the controversy that the Pope's tour caused and his refusal to apologise to Muslims for stating in a lecture in a German university two years ago that Islam was spread by power. El-Asmar stated that this is not a mere slip of the tongue or the first time that the Pope had said something against Islam. Shortly before he became Pope, he talked about the possibility of Turkey joining the European Union, saying one should defend Christian Europe. He also accused the believers of any faith other than Christianity as being non-believers, except the Jews whom he described as "dear brothers". "This is the Pope who came to our region for pilgrimage and who was cordially welcomed in our land in conformity with the teachings of our Prophet and our religion regardless of whether he apologised overtly or covertly," El-Asmar wrote in the Jordanian political independent daily Addustour. Elias Harfoush wrote that he read a comment in an American Catholic newspaper that the Pope's visit would be a success if he returned from his tour without causing a war in the Middle East. In an area teeming with contradictory religious sentiments, it is not easy for a religious leader to achieve what political leaders have failed to do. Thus the Pope was realistic enough to declare that his tour is religious and for the purpose of performing the pilgrimage. However, Harfoush questioned how politics can be absent when the German Pope visits the memorial of Holocaust victims and declines to visit the holocaust museum and when there are still some calls from Muslims for the Pope to apologise and declare a clear religious stand on Israeli aggressions. Meanwhile, because it was declared that the visit is not political, it is not likely that anybody will listen to the message he wanted to deliver to the Israelis to make necessary concessions for peace and the Palestinian factions to adopt more moderate policies. "The Pope's visit seems to be a pilgrimage that will take a few days, after which everything will go back to normal," Harfoush concluded in the London-based independent political daily Al-Hayat.
