All I can say is: Wow. This editorial by Ahmed Al-Jarallah, editor-in-chief of Kuwait's Arab Times, damn near took my breath away:
The fate of the Lebanese is in the hands of a handful of reckless adventurers, who have prevented Arabs from making well-judged decisions. These adventurers have forced Saudi Arabia to issue a statement holding them responsible for the current episode of confrontation with Israel. Saudi Arabia’s stance on this issue has made Arab leaders fight each other during the Arab Summit. Arab leaders should be frank in admitting the sufferings of the people of Lebanon. For over 58 years Arabs have been trying to fight Israel. During this period they took a decision according to international resolutions to ensure there was no war. However, recently some organizations like the Hezbollah and Hamas Movement have been trying to violate these resolutions by calling for war.This is the reason why Lebanon and Palestine have turned into battlegrounds for certain foreign countries at the expense of their own people. Unfortunately Iran and Syria are fighting the international community, especially the United States, in Lebanon and Palestine. Nobody is benefiting from this conflict, except Tehran and Damascus, which are using this issue to solve their problems with the international community without any care for the blood that is being shed in Lebanon and Palestine. The ultimate sufferers in the ongoing crisis are Lebanon and Palestine, which are back to square one.
Doesn't break my heart to see Hezbollah and Hamas lose the credibility they once enjoyed in that part of the globe. But to see public (or printed) condemnation of these creeps from an Arab souce within the Arab world is a surprise -- and a refreshing one.
Even after the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington, far too many comments were of the "Yes, of course terrorism is wrong, but you must understand...poverty, Israel, imperialism, yadda yadda yadda" variety, which was nothing short of disgusting. Is this an indication of a real shift? I hope it's not due simply to Arab anti-Persian racism, or Shia-bashing from a Sunni source.
It's about time.
Anyway, I salute Al-Jarallah's editorial and the courage it took for him to put his name to it. He should be made an honorary Dane.
(Hat tip: Perry de Havilland at Samizdata)