Arabic media review

Arabic media review

Israeli occupation is the foremost problem, Islamic summit will declare
Conference calls for Islamic unity in face of external challenges; Hezbollah is eerily quiet during Lebanese turmoil
By August 15, 2012, 1:46 pm 1
 
 
 
 

 

 
Leon Panetta (left) warns of Iranian-backed militias in Syria (photo credit: AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Leon Panetta (left) warns of Iranian-backed militias in Syria (photo credit: AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

The conference of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) currently being held in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, is leading the news in most Arab media Wednesday, perhaps due to the prominence of Saudi capital in the Arab media.

In Saudi-owned daily A-Sharq Al-Awsat, coverage of the conference occupies the entire front page. The headline reports that King Abdullah proposes to establish a center for interdenominational dialogue. The king is quoted as saying that bloodshed in the Arab world is caused by “disunity” and that stopping the bloodshed can only be achieved through “solidarity, tolerance, moderation and standing as one in the face of those who try to harm our religion and our unity.”

According to A-Sharq Al-Awsat, the closing statement will give priority to condemning Israel for the arrest of ‘thousands of Palestinians’ and subjecting them to ‘all forms of torture’

Both A-Sharq Al-Awsat and London-based daily Al-Hayat leak the contents of the closing statement, based on “knowledgeable sources.” According to the two leading dailies, the conference will condemn the Syrian regime for the violence taking place in the country and assert the “legitimacy” of the Syrian opposition. Al-Hayat reports that the conference will commend the Egyptian efforts to broker Palestinian reconciliation, and dub the Palestinian question “the central issue of the Islamic nation.”

According to A-Sharq Al-Awsat, the closing statement will give priority to condemning Israel for the arrest of “thousands of Palestinians” and subjecting them to “all forms of torture.”

Al-Jazeera reports that the conference is hosting leaders from over 40 Islamic countries out of a total of 57 member states. Notably absent is Syria, which some countries have suggested to expel from the organization as a punitive move.

‘The Mecca conference takes place as our region suffers from terrible sectarianism created by certain regional countries, led by Iran and its proxies Assad and Hizbullah’

Despite Iran’s participation in the conference, A-Sharq Al-Awsat editor Tareq Homayed lambasted the Islamic Republic for its participation in the civil war raging in Syria.

“The Mecca conference takes place as our region suffers from terrible sectarianism created by certain regional countries, led by Iran and its proxies, Assad and Hezbollah… our region knew peaceful coexistence for all minorities and sectarianism became a political weapon, and a means to augment power. Therefore, Arabs and Muslims must face their problems and crises alone,” writes Homayed.

Why is Hezbollah so quiet?

One leading daily which markedly ignores the Mecca summit is London-based daily Al-Quds Al-Arabi, where no mention of the conference can be found on its front page.

The daily leads its news with Syria Wednesday, reporting that the US is mulling over “all options” to ensure Assad’s departure and adding that Turkey has increased its military presence on the border and deployed missiles there. The daily also claims that Libyan fighters have joined opposition forces in Syria.

Saudi-owned news website Elaph interviews socialist pro-Syrian MP Qasim Hashem who tries to answer the question of why Hezbollah has been so tight-lipped recently, not reacting to dramatic political developments like the arrest of former minister Michel Samaha. Hashem says that Hezbollah is silent because “it understands full well the risks and dangers Lebanon is experiencing and does not want to indulge in the debates.”

Meanwhile, Dubai-based news channel Al-Arabiya reports that the Syrian intelligence has arrested a Yemeni businessman and humiliatingly interrogated his Syrian wife for four hours at the airport. The man, Amer Saeed, was arrested and taken to an unknown location while his wife was released.

Hood, a Yemeni human rights organization, demanded that the Yemeni government act quickly and pressure Syria to release Saeed, “whose life is in danger, as well as rescue hundreds of Yemenis from Syria.

In an interview with Al-Hayat, senior Syrian oppositionist Haitham Maleh commends a decision by the OIC to send a joint Islamic force to Syria to help fight the Assad regime. Maleh said the decision was “very important” in light of the terrible loss of life in Syria.

Al-Jazeera reports a statement by American Defense Secretary Leon Panetta condemning Iran for creating pro-Assad “militia” to fight alongside government forces against the Syrian opposition. According to the Qatar-based channel, Panetta said the development was “very worrying” to the United States.