Press uncertain of Blair role

Mr Blair spoke of a "sense of possibility" in the region

The Israeli and Arab papers are divided over the ability of Middle East peace envoy Tony Blair to bring peace to the region.

Some Israeli newspapers are positive but other Palestinian commentators remain sceptical, with a Hamas leader seeing Mr Blair as a "Trojan horse".

Elsewhere in the region, some Middle Eastern papers wonder whether Mr Blair will be a neutral force.

EDITORIAL IN ISRAEL'S HA'ARETZ

Israel must now take steps to improve people's lives in the territories, bolster the Fatah government and renew talks for a final-status agreement... Now that the Abbas-Fayyad government has been stabilised in the West Bank and Blair's mission has begun, it is Israel's turn to play its part.

LT-GEN MOSHE YA'ALON IN ISRAEL'S MA'ARIV

Give up trying to pressure Israel for a short term achievement... try to convince the Palestinians to follow a long term strategy of educational, political and economic reform that engenders a civil society that sanctifies life rather than death.

HANI HABIB IN PALESTINIAN AL-AYYAM

The Quartet's limitation of Tony Blair's basic mission to marginal affairs is better in the end, even for him, because Israel will not hesitate to frustrate him the way it frustrated his predecessor, James Wolfensohn.

WEST BANK HAMAS LEADER AHMAD YUSUF IN PALESTINIAN AL-QUDS

We do not expect much from the dialogue with Quartet envoy Tony Blair on the issues outstanding since 1948... We are preparing ourselves for an epic in which Blair will appear as the Trojan horse that comes loaded with presents, money, advice and diplomatic messages.

HASSAN YUNIS IN QATAR'S AL-WATAN

All that Mr Blair has done is try to marginalise the Hamas movement. This is a bad start for his new mission which must take notice of all parties without exception. What we saw is an unsuccessful attempt to compliment Israel and the Palestinian Authority by marginalising Hamas.

EDITORIAL IN EGYPT'S AL-JUMHURIYAH

Tony Blair can make himself be remembered as a peacemaker in Palestine and not a warmonger as in Iraq if he can commit himself to neutrality and integrity in performing his mission. The question is will the Bush Administration or the Olmert government let him?

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 bureaux abroad.