Arab newspapers sound a critical note after US attempts to put pressure on the Palestinian side in the Middle East peace process. They see the Palestinians losing out whatever happens.
On the Israeli side, US policy is seen as leading to a return to the colonial era and Ariel Sharon is accused of shooting himself in the foot by weakening the Palestinian National Authority.
The US voice comes up very loudly in defence of Israeli practices. Put simply, the victim becomes responsible for violence and the world is invited to abuse it, while the whipper is considered innocent... This crooked logic will leave the region in permanent trouble.
Tishrin - Syria
Sharon is trying to crush the leaders of Hamas and the [Islamic] Jihad while Powell exerts pressure on Arab parties and threatens the Palestinians. Condoleezza Rice and President Bush are doing the same thing when they reiterate threats against Hamas, the Jihad and Hezbollah.
Al-Watan - Kuwait
While President Bush calls for the toppling of the Iranian regime in Tehran, he also launches an appeal to the world to stand united in efforts to crush the Palestinian opposition. In both cases, the US president is guided by neither a sublime nor a moral principle... When President Bush incites Iran's popular front to topple its regime, and when his administration incites the whole world against the Palestinian resistance, he simple discloses the US's secret agenda.
Al-Bayan - UAE
The United States should realize that Israel has persisted in torpedoing any road to peace and whenever it was forced to enter into negotiations or ratify resolutions, Israel did this not out of love for peace but just to play for time. Sharon wants to wash his hands of the road map after laying down conditions.
Al-Khalij - UAE
If the dialogue succeeds and Hamas changes into an association for the memorising of the Koran and puts aside its weapons, this will mean a victory for Sharon and his hardline policy. And if the dialogue fails, this will mean the Palestinians are the ones who failed the road map and resolved to continue with terrorism, and they will be held responsible for the consequences.
Al-Quds Al-Arabi - London-based
It is a disgrace that we remain completely silent against the US-Israeli defamatory campaign which discredits the brave Palestinian resistance groups.
Al-Bayan - UAE
Israel was wrong to wreak such havoc on the infrastructure of the Palestinian Authority. Now it is so weak it couldn't confront Hamas even if it wanted to. The government's determination to crack down on Hamas is legitimate as long as it is acceptable to Bush and strengthens Abu Mazen for the day that he lays down the law.
Ha'aretz commentator Yoel Marcus - Israel
Creative ideas are bubbling... We are talking about giving a mandate over Palestinian territory to the US or a group of states led by it. It is possible to see in the proposal that is taking shape a retreat to the colonial era. And it is possible to see in it an effort to correct the actions of the British, who got tired and left the Arabs and Jews to themselves at each other's throats.
Yediot Aharonot - Israel
BBC Monitoring, based in Caversham in southern England, selects and translates information from radio, television, press, news agencies and the Internet from 150 countries in more than 70 languages.
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