Press unites against Amman bombers

Papers in Jordan and the wider Middle East join in condemning this week's bomb attacks on Amman hotels. In Jordan itself there is defiance and a warning to Jordanians who sympathise with al-Qaeda.

Elsewhere dailies remind readers that terrorism is "blind", with mainly innocent citizens the target. Others call for action to avert the spread of this "cancer".

COMMENTARY IN JORDAN'S AL-RAY

Jordan was blessed with peace and stability... This blessing was the reason that prompted those criminal killers to carry out this hideous act... Even if those killers succeeded in persuading those whom they fooled to blow themselves up and turn light into darkness, and joy into sorrow... these cowardly acts will never be able shake our peace and security.

COMMENTARY IN JORDAN'S AL-DUSTUR

Terrorist crimes do not deliver any political message. Their only message is to kill and destroy... However, the Jordanian blood spilled in Amman's bloody night will help dispel the illusions and remove the haze from the eyes of those many Jordanians who sympathise with al-Qaeda and al-Zarqawi himself.

EDITORIAL IN EGYPT'S AL-AKHBAR

Blind terrorism does not spare any nation or government... Its only message is to spread death and destruction everywhere and at any time... Strength and comfort to Jordan, death to the terrorists!

EDITORIAL IN EGYPT'S AL-JUMHURIYAH

Terrorism is spreading like a cancer in the Arab region and is a threat to the world's peace and stability... The first step in the war against terrorism should be to restore lost justice and assert human rights, so as to tighten the grip around the terrorists' throats.

EDITORIAL IN SAUDI AL-WATAN

The Amman terrorist attacks must be condemned at Arab and international levels... We should now seize the initiative of King Abdallah Bin-Abd-al-Aziz, the custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, to set up an international centre to combat terrorism, in order to effectively confront this phenomenon.

EDITORIAL IN OMAN'S OMAN

Terrorism has struck again... The world today is paying an exorbitant price for not analysing this phenomenon deeply... Political conflicts and wars have played a role in inciting hatred and violence... The Amman blasts are a crime against innocents, whose only fault was to be in the place where the explosions went off.

EDITORIAL IN UAE'S AL-BAYAN

The message behind these terrorist acts in Jordan is that blind and bloody terrorism has been able to spread in the region... and its followers succeeded, to a great extent, in consolidating the 'culture of suicide bombing'.

COMMENTARY IN PALESTINIAN AL-HAYAT AL-JADIDAH

We have to admit that terrorism has developed in the past few years to become an open war against the Arab nation and its plan to revive itself... We are utterly confident that sister Jordan will not be shaken by these horrible terrorist attacks.

COMMENTARY IN PALESTINIAN AL-AYYAM

After much effort and repeated attempts, al-Qaeda was able to achieve an unprecedented breach and blew up three hotels in Amman... However, these horrible attacks will only unite the official and public positions that reject such actions, and will also pave the way for the Americans to interfere increasingly in Arab affairs under the banner of the 'war on terror'.

BBC Monitoring selects and translates news from radio, television, press, news agencies and the Internet from 150 countries in more than 70 languages. It is based in Caversham, UK, and has several bureaus abroad.