The Palestinian tunnel crisis

As part of its anti-peace policies meant to destroy the peace process, implement its expansion program and increase aggression and provocation, the Netanyahu government recently opened a tunnel under the Al-Aqsa mosque to affirm the Jewish nature of this sacred symbol and direct a mean stab to the feelings of the Arabs and Muslims everywhere.

It is not strange for the racist Likud government to go ahead with its stupid and hostile policies to the end, and it is not strange for the head of this government to spread a climate of tension and war in the region.

But in all norms and laws, pressure leads to explosion and the size of pressure, injustice and aggression practiced by the Netanyahu government has become unbearable, provoking a deep worry among all states in the world of dangerous consequences on the future of the Middle East peace process.

It was natural that such measures by Netanyahu's government in opening a tunnel under the al-Aqsa mosque are met with a wave of strong condemnation and bloody confrontations with the occupying forces in most Palestinian self-rule territories yesterday -- in what seems to be the beginning of a new Intifada that could be stronger than the uprising of the children of stones.

If Netanyahu was the one to order personally the opening of this tunnel...he will bear the responsibility resulting from this new provocation.

Netanyahu is not only ignoring the reactions, which blew up as a volcano in the face of his racist policies, but he is also disregarding international condemnations although he is on a tour in Europe to polish his image and absorb the bad impact of his 100 days in office.

We do not exaggerate when we say that there is an overwhelming feeling that this man is far away from peace. Even inside the United States, he is being described as an extremist and not a peacemaker.

Such an international siege of Netanyahu's policies, which torpedoed the peace process, is accompanied by a more positive Arab position...and an increased feeling inside Israel that Netanyahu's policies will harm the Israelis even before the Arabs.

There is an opportunity looming in the horizon that the Arabs should seize. No previous Israeli government has faced the isolation which Netanyahu's government is now suffering regionally and internationally.

-- Al-Baath, Damascus