16-30 September 2012        28 Shawwal-12 Zaiqadah 1433 Hijri

Note: Using editorials as an indicator, this series presents views, understanding and attitude of the Urdu periodicals in India towards various developments concerning the Middle East. The selection of an item does not mean the endorsement or concurrence with their accuracy or views. Editor, MEI@ND
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Hindustan Express (Daily Hindustan Express), New Delhi
Editorial, 24 September 2012, Monday
1. 80 Years of the Saudi Kingdom
Saudi Arabia is a blessed land; blessed with Islam and many more things. Islam dawned in this land and spread to other parts of the world. It is the only place in the world that is ruled exclusively under Islamic Shari’a. The Basic System of the country clearly states that the Quran is the source of all law and constitution. The judicial system completely emanates from the Quran, Hadith and Shari’a.

The judicial system of the Kingdom was established by the founder King Abdul Aziz and has been improved over time. It is because of this system that Saudi Arabia records the least number of crimes in the world. The Western societies confront newer problems of security and deviance everyday from which Saudi Arabia is completely untouched. The rulers of the Kingdom know that the secret behind a stable and strong state is justice which is ensured to all its citizens. The Islamic system of justice is unique. The entire justice delivery system, laws, norms and rules are all either established through divine or derived from divine rulings. The system has also ensured that people with a very high level of integrity and sense of justice reach the level of judgeship. The judges never discriminate on the basis of ruled and ruler. The Saudi judiciary has for long delivered landmark judgments and has indicted people even from the rich and ruling class. It is because of this judicial system that the country is largely free from crime and its citizens live in peace.

All countries have systems to establish peace, ensure human rights and democracy. It would be difficult to imagine a democratic society without the freedom to practice one’s chosen lifestyle, freedom of speech and fundamental rights. The psychological sense of peace and tranquillity cannot be achieved without inner peace. It can be stated without doubt that the Saudi people enjoy all kinds of freedoms and the Kingdom is run with a democratic norm in its full glory. It is a different matter that the democracy is different from Western democracy where people have a deep sense of duty together with the sense of rights which is the cornerstone of the Islamic system. The Kingdom, working on the path of progress and development together with glorifying Islam, has completed 80 years since its inception and the people, the authorities and the custodian of the two holy mosques deserve huge applauds and congratulations on this auspicious occasion.
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Roznama Rashtriya Sahara (National Sahara Daily), Delhi
Editorial, 26 September 2012, Wednesday
2. Israeli Apprehensions Unwarranted
The US President Barack Obama’s statement regarding Israel while giving an interview to a TV channel last Sunday is surprising because US Presidents avoid giving statements during the polling season that could infuriate the Jewish lobby in the US given its key role in funding poll campaigns. Moreover, it was important because he was to meet world leaders at the UN General Assembly meeting the very next day. He very clearly termed the Israeli Prime Minister’s demand to set a red line for Iranian nuclear programme as mere ‘noise’. Surprisingly, Barack Obama very clearly stated that the US will do whatever is in the interest of its people. It can be seen in the context of the violence and anger against the US all over the Islamic world due to a stupid movie as well as his opponent Mitt Romney’s taunt that he has been very disengaged with both the enemies and friends of the US. Obama responded to this question by asking Romney, if he wanted the US to get involved in another war. It is pretty clear that Obama is very worried about growing anti-Americanism in the Islamic world. Israel is very upset with Obama’s statements because he did not even spare the Israeli Prime Minister while attacking his opponent. Unwarranted ‘noise’ was certainly meant for Netanyahu’s continuous demand for imposing a red line on Iran to stop its nuclear programme, though Israel itself has a huge stockpile of highly enhanced nuclear arsenal. Israel is also very upset with the fact that Obama is not scheduled to meet the Israeli leader. Mitt Romney has immediately caught this opportunity and criticized Obama for not taking enough care of one of the most coveted allies of the US. It has been reported in these columns that the Presidential election system in the US is very complicated. The people do not elect the President in a direct vote. First, senate members are elected by the people to form an electoral college. The Electoral College comprising of members of senate from different states and the capital Washington D.C. then votes to elect the President and Vice President. This leads to immense lobbying and payoffs from different groups and corporates to help choose a President who endorses their agenda and promises to work for their benefit. If there would have been direct elections, it would have been difficult to influence the outcome of elections through such frivolous means. The Jewish lobby in the US always makes use of this system and ensures a President who does not work against Israeli interests. Thus, Presidential candidates remain wary of this lobby. The President is also prevented from taking anti-Israel steps through senate members. Barack Obama has also been prevented from fulfilling his promises made to the Muslim world due to this lobby. Isn’t it surprising that Obama is criticizing Israeli leader at this moment? An American President cannot serve for more than two terms, thus any President feels freer in his second term. Can it be perceived that Obama will be different towards Israel in his second term?

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Roznama Rashtriya Sahara (National Sahara Daily), Delhi
Editorial, 27 September 2012, Thursday
3. Secret Decision of the Israeli Cabinet
This editorial column revealed yesterday that the US President Barack Obama refused to give weight to Israeli insistence on setting a deadline for Iran to stop its nuclear programme or be ready to face the music. It was also reported that he refused to meet the Israeli Prime Minister during the UN General Assembly meeting. It has now been reported in Israeli media that the cabinet has decided to attack the Iranian nuclear establishments a few days before the US Presidential elections because in such a scenario the US will have to come forward to help Israel. According to the report, the decision was taken by the Prime Minister and many of his cabinet colleagues had issues with this decision which they expressed. It was said that many former IDF commanders and Mossad chiefs have warned against any such move because it could very well endanger Israeli existence. But the Prime Minister remained adamant on his decision. Perhaps the decision would have been executed but somehow was leaked to the media and became public knowledge. It is also to be noted that the Prime Minister had recently expressed anger at the media's knowledge of important decisions culminating from such secret meetings. He had also said that it seemed to be the handiwork of an insider. The media did not reveal its sources but Netanyahu’s doubt that somebody from within the cabinet has been leaking to the media cannot be overruled. Nevertheless, the revelation has created a political storm in Israel and people have even demanded the Prime Minister’s resignation. It is not unprecedented that an Israeli Prime Minister resigns due to such crazy decisions. Many people in the media have termed this view that the US will be forced to help Israel as childish. The media has tried to remind Netanyahu that any American President will not easily be able to launch or get involved in a full-fledged war after their disastrous outings in Iraq and Afghanistan. The majority of the people in the Israeli media are of the view that it is sheer foolishness to think that the US will come forward to help Israel instead believing that it could rather endanger the US-Israel defence agreement. Any American President who comes to power takes the oath to defend America as well as Israel but any Israeli adventure could endanger the friendship between the two allies. This revelation has also set the alarm bell ringing in the US administration circles which has come into activity to prevent any such attack. As far as Netanyahu is concerned, he is again enraged over the leakage of the decision which revealed the real face of Israel in front of the world. The joint resolution issued after the NAM Summit had already undermined Israel but this revelation has further isolated it in the world. In addition, Iran has also been alarmed of the danger which was not at all part of the Israeli scheme.

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Compiled and Translated by Md. Muddassir Quamar

Md. Muddassir Quamar is a Doctoral Candidate at the School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University. Email

As part of its editorial policy, the MEI@ND standardizes spelling and date formats to make the text uniformly accessible and stylistically consistent. The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views/positions of the MEI@ND. Editor, MEI@ND: P R Kumaraswamy.