Arab media bemoan government siege of Homs

The Arab media returned their focus Thursday to the events in Homs, Syria, which they had neglected yesterday in favor of diplomatic coverage. Al-Arabiya, a Dubai-based news channel, leads its news section with a unusually dramatic headline: “Syria becomes a large coffin, and Damascus awaits its turn,” featuring a TV grab photo of three government thugs, or Shabiha as they are locally known, patrolling the streets of Homs.

A-Sharq Al-Awsat, a Saudi-owned daily published in London states in its headline that “Assad’s forces destroy Homs, and ‘Syria’s Friends’ prepare to move,” a reference to a group of Western countries led by the US. The daily reports that Foreign Minister Farouq A-Shara, seen smiling during the visit of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to Damascus this week, “may play an important role in the coming days.”

Al-Hayat, a liberal daily published in London, begins its report by stating that thousands of Syrians are stranded in their homes in Homs and other Syrian cities, reluctant to leave for fear of bombs and sniper fire. Dozens of armored personnel carriers entered Homs yesterday in preparation for the “final stage” of crushing the civil rebellion, the daily reports.

“Syria has a special historic place in the heart of every Arab,” writes columnist Ghassan Sharbal in Al-Hayat’s lead editorial. “Therefore, we feel we are suffering with it, and dying with it. No one can accept the images coming from Homs.”

Al-Arabiya predicts that the civil uprising will soon reach Damascus. “The quiet in many of its streets is nothing but a lie,” the channel reports.

Egypt and the US on a collision path

The deteriorating relations between Egypt and the United States surrounding the trial of 19 Americans for illicit foreign funding of nonprofits occupies much Arab attention Thursday. A-Sharq Al-Awsat’s headline reads “threat of detachment between US and Egypt,” alongside a photo of the Egyptian prosecutor in the case during a press conference Wednesday.

Al-Hayat reports that the two-day hiatus in demonstrations allowed Egyptian authorities to engage in “another battle” with the US. The daily reports that a high-ranking Egyptian military delegation visiting the US this week cut its visit short following American statements indicating a decrease in military aid to Egypt.

Meanwhile, Qatar-based TV channel Al-Jazeera reports that the Egyptian army began deploying across the country in preparation for widespread civil disobedience on the one-year anniversary of Mubarak stepping down, on February 12.

Al-Arabiya, featuring a photo of two tanks opposite a crowd of Egyptians, reports that demonstrators are demanding the military turn over power to civilian leaders, as well as protest the death of 74 soccer fans last week in Port Said.

Palestinian reconciliation far from done deal

Heavy doubts are beginning to surface in Arab media regarding the Doha Announcement on Hamas-Fatah reconciliation, based on PA president Mahmoud Abbas taking on the position of prime minister.

A-Sharq Al-Awsat reports that the Hamas’ parliamentary bloc in Gaza considers the Doha Announcement “unconstitutional,” calling for its reconsideration. Al-Quds Al-Arabi, a hardline daily printed in London which focuses on Palestinian affairs, reports that “analysts have long argued that a split exists within Hamas between its Gaza leadership and [Khaled] Mashal who lives in Syria.

Meanwhile, A-Sharq Al-Awsat reports that Hamas’ leadership has effectively abandoned Damascus in search of other cities in which to set up headquarters. “Hamas’s leadership has thus far not managed to find a new base for its activities,” reports the Saudi-owned daily, adding that it is unlikely that any of Israel’s neighboring countries will be willing to host Hamas.

Jordan goes solar

With Japanese funding, Jordan has just innaugrated a new solar panel farm on the shores of the Dead Sea, the independent Jordanian daily Al-Arab Al-Youm reports. According to the report, the new solar farm will supply 35% of the electricity used by the Panorama shopping center nearby. Jordan enjoys no significant natural resources, such as oil or natural gas, abundant in most of its Gulf neighbors. The cooperation with the Japanese is part of a larger government efforts to develop “sustainable tourism” in the Dead Sea area.