Editorials in Arab newspapers comment on Libya and Syria

Editorials in Arab newspapers comment on bias at Al Jazeera and the need for Palestinian unity.

The battle for Libya promises to be long

The ongoing battles in Misurata, in West Libya, prove that the war will be drawn-out and might go on for years in the absence of any changes on the political and military scene, observed the Emirati Akhbar Al Arab daily in its editorial.

Confrontations are escalating while the regime and the opposition are hanging in a balance of terror. The longer the war, the more destructive its effects across the country and the region. Libyans will find themselves under intensified fire from Col Qaddafi's forces, especially since he recently threatened to use armed tribes in his fight against the rebels.

"Libyans want to see the balance tipping in favour of the rebels, but at the same time, they cannot withstand a lingering war that turns Libya into another Iraq or Afghanistan. Especially since they can see that UN actions weren't compliant with the organisation's promise to protect civilians."

In his quest to disseminate terror and despair among his people, Col Qaddafi wants to completely destroy the city of Misurata to stifle any hope the rebels might have for victory.

The western alliance, on its part, remains reluctant to resolve the situation. The West wants to be certain of the true identity of the opposition and the powers that support it in order to avoid any unexpected and undesired powers vying to control the situation once the confrontations are over.

The town of Deraa is Syria's Tahrir Square

"The Syrian regime has tried with utmost force to prevent protesters from controlling any city square, as the Egyptians did when they transformed Tahrir Square into a platform for their revolution," observed Tareq Alhomayed in a commentary for the pan-Arab newspaper Asharq al Awsat.

Deraa has become the epitome of uprising and, in a sense, synonymous to Cairo's Tahrir.

Throughout Syria, protests are held in the name of Deraa. This is the result of the wrongdoings of the president Bashar al Assad, who focused on security solution in order to besiege the province militarily, politically, and through media propaganda.

Yet, this plan backfired on him. In no time, Deraa has become a symbol of protests on par with Tahir Square. The first MPs who resigned in protest against the suppression of protests represent Deraa and its mufti walked out as well for the same reason.

Undoubtedly, this will prompt more protests and force more senior officials to resign. This would not happen if the management of the crisis was handled differently. But as the government continues to stress security aspects alone, it just repeats the same mistakes over and over. Meanwhile, its propaganda machine holds external parties responsible for the current situation at home.

However, Arab media still shows an understanding attitude about the ongoing protests.

Al Jazeera's loyalties compromise integrity

"We don't always agree with Al Jazeera's coverage of events across the Arab world," observed the columnist Omar Kallab in the Jordanian daily Adustour. "During recent and ongoing events, a clear partiality in coverage can be noticed, as Al Jazeera is less vocal in some places than others."

Of course, the Qatari channel cannot be accused of concealing the truth or distancing itself from the concerns of the people, and no one can deny its role in promoting the freedom of the media in the Arab world.

Many of Al Jazeera's journalists became household names through their relentless support of freedom and democracy. Some of them became part of the revolution and resistance movements.

Strangely though, now that the Arab peoples are rising up in quest of freedom and democracy, we see voices that once supported such ideals withdraw, abandoning the very ideals that brought them to the forefront of the media scene in the first place. As if the pro-democracy movement in Egypt deserves support and the same movement in Syria doesn't.

"How can we cheer for Bouazizi in Tunisia, but condemn the blood flowing in Deraa?"

Blood is blood, whether it was shed in Damascus, Baghdad or Cairo. The demands of people in every Arab country must be supported and upheld, for under the blows of corruption and oppression, we are all the same.

A Palestinian state needs a unified people

In September, the UN General Assembly is to hold a session to declare an independent Palestinian state according to 1967 borders, which gives the Palestinians only 22 per cent of their original territories, observed the columnist Jihad al Khazen in the pan-Arab Al Hayat daily.

"I don't foresee any big changes on the ground once the Palestinian state is declared. What I do foresee, however, is continued occupation and destruction with western, mainly US, collaboration.

"The establishment of the state of Israel was a crime against Palestinians. I write these words on Easter while Israel denies Palestinian Christians access to Christian holy sites in Jerusalem. All Christians from around the world can visit Jerusalem as long as they aren't Palestinians from outside the city."

As for the Palestinians themselves, no amount of UN resolutions can grant them what they want as long as they are divided among themselves.

The much-awaited UN resolution can be a good start if they were capable, within the few preceding months, of coming together in a unified front. Their internal division only proves to the world that they are not worthy of independence.

* Digest compiled by Racha Makarem