MEDIA REACTION ON MIDDLE EAST

UNCLAS AMMAN 006105 SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/ARN, NEA/PA, NEA/AIA, INR/NESA, R/MR, I/GNEA, B/BXN, B/BRN, NEA/PPD, NEA/IPA FOR ALTERMAN USAID/ANE/MEA LONDON FOR TSOU SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KMDR JO SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION ON MIDDLE EAST Editorial Commentary -- "A military and political victory" Columnist Rakan Majali writes on the back-page of center-left, influential Arabic daily Ad-Dustour (08/13): "The international Security Council resolution number 1701 was a political victory for Lebanon. True, this resolution did not fulfill everything that Lebanon wanted in view of the military victory of the resistance on the ground.... The complete military victory was not translated into a conclusive political victory because the balance of power on the international level is heavily tipped in favor of Israel, particularly since Israel had executed this aggression, this time, on behalf of America.... The steadfastness, resistance, retaliation and deterrence provided by the knights of Hizbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Palestine are not property to one party or one movement, but they are the property of the nation in the bigger fight for peace. Military successes, steadfastness and deterrence are not a target in their own capacity, but rather they amend the balance of power and impose a new logic on the enemy that is coming to the realization that it is not in its interest or that of its people to suffer another defeat. Hizbollah has wet the appetite of the Arab nation for victory after Israel's arrogance, pride and provocation reached an unacceptable limit. The important thing is that Hizbollah proved that Israel is a paper tiger, and more importantly, this confrontation that embarrassed the Arab regimes and armies and exposed billion-dollar arms deals imposes on the Arab regimes and the Arab peoples to go back to the military option as a means to the peace option." -- "Lebanon the future" Chief Editor Ayman Safadi writes on the back-page of independent, centrist Arabic daily Al-Ghad (08/13): "The resolution is not fair, but it is the best possible in view of the balance of power and the unlimited support that America is giving to Israel. The important thing now is to implement the resolution in order to stop the killing of innocent Lebanese civilians and to begin the rebuilding of the secure and sovereign Lebanese state that encompasses all people. The issue of the refugees marks the biggest challenge for Lebanon in the post-war stage. Failure to address this issue in an efficient and effective manner will result in serious social, economic, security and political repercussions to Lebanon's security and stability.... The Arabs want no one else to have influence in their region. The achievement of this condition has its own cost and its own objectives. The Arab countries need to learn from the mistakes of the past. There is a moral, humanitarian and political responsibility on the Arabs to help Lebanon. If they do that, they will gain the respect and trust of all the Lebanese. If they do not, others will find in the suffering of the Lebanese a point of entry for empathy and political alliances. As for the Lebanese government, it has no choice but to cast its sovereignty over all its land. This, however, needs to be done through building a national convergence over the need to establish the foundations of a modern and multilateral state. This entails preventing anyone from trying to employ the anti-Hizbollah international climate and the military weakness that Hizbollah suffers from after a month of standing up to the Israeli aggression and seeking revenge against Hizbollah.... Hizbollah stood up to the Israeli aggression. It stood fast in a legendary manner. The state and Hizbollah must take advantage of this in the efforts to rebuild a Lebanon that is free from neighborly custodianship and secure from Israel's aggressiveness. Here too the Arab countries have a role to play in reining in America's wildness towards defeating Hizbollah and seeking revenge against it for Israel's sake. There is no room for zero-sum formulas in the future of Lebanon." -- "Limited power and its desperate options" Semi-official, influential Arabic daily Al-Rai (08/13) editorializes: "Israel must show realism in its handling of issues and its leaders and general must come down from their ivory tower and must be humble vis-`-vis the objectives they have set for their dreamy plans. They can no longer break the will of the Arab people or push the Lebanese and the Palestinians to raise white flags. They must realize that there is no permanent, comprehensive and just peace and security and stability in the region except when they abandon their aggressive policies, abide by international resolutions, and give up their dreams of hegemony and the arrogance of power that led them nowhere but to disappointment and failure, and the Lebanese example is still alive to this moment." -- "Ushering in a new era" Centrist, elite English daily Jordan Times (08/13) editorializes: "Much hope is being pinned on the new resolution. While resolution 1701 is not perfect by any means, it does indeed offer a wide base for ending the fighting and ushering in a new era for Lebanon free from Israeli occupation.... There are contentious issues that remain unresolved, however, like the release of Lebanese prisoners and the future of Shebaa farms.... Yes, resolution 1701 is imperfect, but it is sufficient to steer the warring parties into a new relationship that has never been attained in the past." HALE