Blaming Hamas gathers steam

Adel Imam [left] seen with Omar Sharif [right]

Egyptian Film Star: Hamas Is to Blame -Khaled Abu Toameh

The Arab world's most prominent comedian and movie star, Egyptian actor Adel Imam [pictured above] , has expressed understanding for Israel's military operation in Gaza. Imam, 68, a longtime outspoken critic of Islamic fundamentalism, lashed out at Egyptians who have been demonstrating against Israel's war on Hamas...
(Jerusalem Post)


Hamas Has Failed - It Is Time They Stepped Down -Sultan Al Qassemi

It is high time for Hamas to step down as the keeper of Gaza. [T]hey are incompetent.

All it has to show after all this time and money is little more than long-range fireworks that it launches into neighboring towns but which do more damage to its own image than to any infrastructure in Israel. Hamas' 18-month rule has been marred by lawlessness, extra-judicial public killings and gang warfare that is more reminiscent of Somalia than a civilized state.
(The National-Abu Dhabi)


Israel Finds More Sympathy in Europe -Robert Marquand

For decades, Europe was a Middle East counterbalance - generally sympathetic to Palestinians as the weaker party. Yet Europe's traditional position has been quietly changing, gravitating closer to a U.S.-Israeli framing of a war on terror,with a subtext of concern about the rise of Islam. In no small way it is associated with the rise of Muslim populations in Europe.

In Europe today, nearly all major leaders - France's Nicolas Sarkozy, Germany's Angela Merkel, Britain's Gordon Brown, and Italy's Silvio Berlusconi - are seen as leaning toward Israel. "There is a general 'Arab fatigue' in Europe," says Denis Bauchard, an adviser to the French Institute for International Relations in Paris. "Europe fears an Islamist threat, whether internal or external, and this has begun to change the overall views on the Israel-Palestine conflict," says Aude Signoles, an expert on Palestinian movements.
(Christian Science Monitor)