On May 12, former President of the Rally for Culture and Democracy in Algeria Said Sadi wrote on his Facebook page: “Two months ago, we warned in this exact place against the threats lurking around us, unless we correctly assess the seriousness of the situation and the popular will to induce change. Since then, the country witnessed a series of improvisations, in which contradictions sought justifications in the context of a totalitarian tendency that is growing by the day. While it is hard to find logical excuses for the organization of presidential elections on July 4…, it is unfortunately very easy to imagine what the consequences of that will be. Indeed, we can imagine how the army command, which is sponsoring this process, will collect the needed signatures to endorse a candidacy presented by a constitutional council that is without a president… (Read More)

On May 12, the electronic Rai al-Youm daily newspaper carried the following report by Khaled al-Jayoussi: “It appears that all the steps taken by the Bahraini Prime Minister, Sheikh Khalifa Bin Salman al-Khalifa, these days are now the subject of criticism by the Bahraini authorities as reflected by their open, remarkable responses knowing that the man has been the prime minister since 1971. The man’s recent phone call to the Qatari Prince, Tamim Bin Hamad, with the aim of greeting him on Ramadan, was met with an official shying away. Moreover, a tweet by Foreign Minister, Khalid Bin Ahmad al-Khalifa, re-stressed on the polarization and stressed that Bahrain is still asking Qatar to implement the same demands voiced out by the boycotting countries… (Read More)

On May 13, the Qatari-owned Al-Quds al-Arabi daily carried the following report from Baghdad: “The Iraqis had diverging views towards the decision taken earlier by the Kirkuk Governorate’s police to prevent young men from wearing shorts (known locally as Bermudas) in public places, as some considered this to be a restriction imposed on personal liberties, while others supported the decision because such attire is “inappropriate” in public places. Mohammad Jassem thus wrote on his Facebook page: “Kirkuk Operations Commander Sa’d Harba has ended all the problems sweeping the governorate and lifted the heavy weight burdening all aspects of life, and is not pursuing those wearing Bermudas… This decision reminds us of the dictatorship that existed under (late President) Saddam Hussein in the 90s, and well as that which existed under Al-Qa’idah and ISIL organizations… (Read More)

On May 13, Ibrahim al-Amin wrote the following piece in Al-Akhbar daily: “The late Maronite Patriarch, Nasrallah Sfeir, was no ordinary person. He did not belong to the class of clerics who go by without leaving any major trace. His progress within the Church was mainly motivated by his personality, which is connected to the values that set the Christian clerics apart. However, his zeal in managing the parish’s affairs allowed him to build a strong position that enabled him, in the historical moments, to occupy the position of a leader… (Read More)

On May 13, the Al-Joumhouria daily newspaper carried the following report by Imad Marmal: “You may agree or disagree with the late Patriarch Mar Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir, but the one certain part is that the man had the respect of his adversaries and his friends. In this sense, the experiences of those parties who had a political adversity with the man are no less “rich” than the experiences of his supporters… (Read More)

On May 11, the privately-owned El-Nashra electronic daily carried the following report by Paula Astih: “At the conclusion of the meeting between the two Hezbollah and Progressive Socialist Party’s delegations last weekend in Ain el-Tineh, it became clear that the Parliament Speaker, Nabih Birri, has failed at sponsoring a reconciliation between the two sides. A few days following this meeting, it turned out that no breakthrough has been achieved at the level of the wall that now separates the two sides, which has paved the way for a long period of estrangement… (Read More)

On May 11, the Saudi-owned London-based Asharq al-Awsat newspaper carried the following report from Beirut by its correspondent Khalil Fleihan: “Lebanon has reiterated its request to the United States to deploy all possible efforts with Israel and ensure the demarcation of the maritime border with it, in order to preserve its right to use its economic water, especially Block 9, in light of Lebanon’s fear of seeing Israel stealing from it. This request was made while US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was present in Beirut, after which initiatives were activated amid questions surrounding Washington’s ability to successfully achieve that mission, and whether or not it will assign US Assistant Secretary of State David Satterfield to carry it out, although many officials are reluctant to deal with him due to his bias in favor of Israel, in the debates surrounding the demarcation of the maritime border… (Read More)

On May 13, the pro-government Al-Ahram newspaper carried the following opinion piece by Dr. Hassan Abu Taleb: “President Trump was the first to use the term “deal” in international relations. This term is taken from his world of real estate, investments and contracts with competing companies. But in international relations, there are negotiations, agreements and pacts, not deals in the meaning used by businessmen and companies. And the states’ and people’s interests are governed by rules and norms which are much greater than those governing the signing of commercial deals. They are rules drawn from the history of this or that nation, from how it views itself, its identity, civilization and relationship with its direct and distant neighbors, from the level of its economic, educational and creative development and everything falling in the context of soft power and influence… (Read More)

On May 13, the pro-Syrian regime Al-Watan daily carried the following piece by Bint al-Ard: “For years now, the terrorists of the Tahrir al-Sham and other terrorist groups supported by international, regional and Arab sides who are hostile to the Syrian people, have been wreaking havoc in Idlib, murdering civilians, and firing rockets on the people of Alepp, Rif Hama, and Latkia... Still, we never heard a single western voice speaking up to condemn the crimes committed by these terrorists or to criticize the Turkish regime for failing to implement the Astana agreements... Instead, Erdogan enhanced the presence of his army, which is occupying the Syrian lands; and he consolidated his connections with the terrorists who proceeded with splitting the authority over the areas under their occupation… (Read More)

On May 13, Al-Khaleej newspaper carried the following lead editorial: “Regardless of the aggressor, the United Arab Emirates is a land of coexistence and peace, a state of development, justice, security and stability, and a messenger carrying the values of love, brotherhood and friendship domestically, regionally and around the world. This is why it assumes that others will treat it as such, and is surprised whenever the opposite happens, due to the values and principles it believes in and acts upon. This is why the incident in the Gulf of Oman should be clearly and utterly condemned, as the UAE is a state of security, and its mission is to spread security and peace in the region and everywhere. Therefore, regardless of who carried it out, the incident that targeted commercial ships near the territorial water and in the economic water of the Emirates falls in the context of sabotage, which some are spread in the region… (Read More)

On May 13, the electronic Al-Khaleej Online daily newspaper carried the following report: “As soon as the official Emirati news agency carried the statement of the foreign ministry confirming the “sabotage” operations that targeted commercial ships on Sunday morning, the satellite channels opened their space for a period of time to analyze the “serious” security incident as per the terms used by Abu Dhabi. The latter did not officially accuse anyone although its media did turn around Iran… (Read More)

On May 13, the Qatari-owned Al-Quds al-Arabi daily carried the following lead editorial: “Ansarullah Movement (a.k.a. the Houthis, after their leader Abdul Malek al-Houthi) announced on Friday night it had agreed to launch the surrender of Al-Hudaydah, As-Salib and Ras Issa Ports, i.e. the main ports in Al-Hudaydah Governorate, to the United Nations. The announcement was made amid total lack of trust between the various sides involved in the Yemeni crisis, and was dubious and incomprehensible because it came as a total surprise, without any preliminaries, and remained unexplained by the justifications of the Houthis, who said via one of their leaders, i.e. Mohammad Ali al-Houthi, that this unilateral withdrawal was “the result of the refusal by the American-British-Saudi-Emirati aggression” to implement the agreement… (Read More)