What citizens of other countries are reading about the Middle East.
By COMPILEDTHE MEDIA LINEIDF soldiers speak with Palestinians in Hebron last week during the manhunt for three kidnapped Israeli youth.(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)Non-Israelis Don’t Matter Ad-Dustour, Amman, June 17 The IDF has been excessively raiding West Bank cities with unprecedented violence, says writer Munther al-Ainawi. It killed Ahmad Arafat Samada, 22, of Jelazoun refugee camp near Ramallah on Monday before dawn. Witnesses say the man was killed in cold blood with a bullet in the chest while watching the raid on his camp. Neighbors say he was wearing shorts and doing nothing but standing on his friends’ rooftop when the soldiers on the opposite rooftop killed him, also preventing him from getting treatment until some time had passed. Despite horrible crimes such as this one, no one appears bothered about the loss of life of a non-Israeli. Israel keeps forgetting that settlements in the West Bank are illegal according to the international law. It should bear responsibility for the fact that life under the occupation has become intolerable for the Palestinians.Israel is on the Go Al-Sabaq, Riyadh, June 17 In the past few days, Israel has arrested 80 Palestinians in raids carried out through the West Bank, as it looks for three Israeli settler teens allegedly abducted by Palestinians, says writer Khaled al-Shamri. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has accused the Palestinian Hamas party of kidnapping the teenagers, who went missing last Thursday. Hamas has already denied responsibility for the incident. Israel has come up with yet another idea to play the victim’s card. In the wake of the formation of the Palestinian unity government, it seems that Netanyahu is not wasting any effort in discrediting Palestinians. The Israeli aim is to break the Palestinian brothers apart from each other and create a split that will take years to mend. As some 25,000 Israelis prayed at the Western Wall for the safe return of the kidnapped teens, it’s remarkable that nobody remembers to pray for thousands of Palestinian detainees in Israeli jails.Israel’s Chance to Violence Dar Al-Khaleej, Abu Dhabi, June 16
Israel doesn’t miss an opportunity to bully the Palestinians, in an attempt to scare them off. The kidnapping of three Israelis happened in an area where Israel enjoys full security control. The excessive exercise of power and violence in the occupied territory tells more about the nature of Israel and its current crisis. History tells us that Israelis get inspired by their militant victories, leading them to more adventures. They will only stop when they are confronted by a parallel violence, and forget that they are the source of the problem. The continuous violent and barbaric attacks against Palestinians prove that Israel has one goal, which is to seize the land and empty it of its original people. While they were busy trying to make Palestinians desperate in order to leave, Israel was surprised to see three of its citizens abducted. This resort to extreme violence is just a compensation for Israel’s inability to protect its citizens.Israeli KnafehAl-Hayat, London, June 15 I received an ad that made me think, says writer Jihad al-Khazen, which says the famous sweet pastry knafeh is Israeli. Resources confirmed what I already know: Knafeh is a Nablus-famous dish that has Turkish origins. Attempting to steal knafeh and present it as an Israeli dish reminds me of the ’80s, when I was a student at Washington’s Georgetown University, and was surprised to see the label “Israeli salad” on the famous Lebanese dish of tabouleh. Between the two incidents, I also saw a fashion show by an Israeli designer on a US television station, and was surprised to see the Palestinian embroidered dress as part of the show. Now the dress has become a part of the Israeli heritage? If they stole the land, why won’t they take the tabouleh or knafeh? I owe it to my creditability to admit that pretzels are a Jewish treat. I enjoy pretzels and know they are Jewish, but all the other things they claim are stolen.Saudi Women demand English Abroad Al-Quds Al-Arabi, London, June 17 Saudi women in secondary schools and universities are increasingly demanding to study English, and are asking to learn the language while in European or Asian countries. Many women prefer to travel in groups with relatives or friends, and want to reside with families who do not have male family members.Travel and tourism agencies are stepping in to provide this; indeed, a sales manager at the Al-Masarat travel and tourism agency says the demand has provided an opportunity for travel agencies to fill the gap. The importance of the English language is on the rise as families opt to spend their vacations abroad, seeking to educate their children. The Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry says the demand from women students to travel and learn is very high, allowing travel agencies to communicate with specialized institutions abroad and provide packages to meet the students’ needs.
