PALESTINIAN ELECTIONS

Abbas 'offering hope for peace'-- Indonesia's independent Kompas praised Mahmoud Abbas for remaining "credible" both among Palestinians and the West, despite the "many challenges" he faces. A conservative Israeli paper similarly observed that Abbas is the "only conceivable Fatah candidate" who could bring peace. Jordan's semi-official Al-Rai remained skeptical, arguing that Abbas would need to make sure that "not a single bomb or gun or even a bullet stays outside the jurisdiction and control of the security forces," if he wants the Israelis, Americans, and European countries to "treat him differently from...Arafat." Germany's business-oriented Handelsblatt pessimistically noted that "it won't take a lot to destroy Abbas' initial success," such as terrorist attacks by radical Islamic groups, targeted killings of suspected terrorists by Israel, or "an assassination of Abbas."

Barghouti, a 'Palestinian Mandela'?-- Some Euro dailies stated that the "future belongs" to Marwan Barghouti, an alternative to the "rigid and corrupt" PA establishment. Russia's business-oriented Kommersant asserted that "the road to the top is open for the young." Arab outlets countered that Barghouti's "disruptive" application only worsens "deep divisions" among Palestinians. The West Bank's independent Al-Ayyam warned that by running "Barghouti fundamentally incurs a big risk to his own political future and the unity of Fatah" and predicted that he will "clearly be the loser."

Danger of 'fake democracy'-- Israeli and Arab analysts split on whether or not Palestinian elections will be fair and free. To Israel's conservative Jerusalem Post, elections will closely resemble "those regularly held in Arab dictatorships." An independent Palestinian outlet remained mildly optimistic, suggesting that the upcoming elections may serve as "a gateway to unity, legitimacy, reform, and democracy through the involvement of as many people as possible." The West Bank's independent Al-Quds hailed that Palestine is moving "hastily and intensely in the right direction."

Israel trying to 'flee' from peace-- Arab writers continued to doubt Israel's commitment to peace, complaining that Israel has "not yet shown any good intentions." According to Saudi Arabia's moderate Okaz, Israel's goal is to "take advantage" of Arafat's death to redraw the Roadmap "as it sees fit." The paper lamented that under these conditions there "will never be a comprehensive peace" in the region. A German commentator shared a measure of this cynicism, stating that Sharon "no longer has any excuse" for rejecting a dialogue with Palestinians.

Prepared by Media Reaction Branch (202) 203-7888, rmrmail@state.gov

EDITOR: Gloria Kim

EDITOR'S NOTE: Media Reaction reporting conveys the spectrum of foreign press sentiment. Posts select commentary to provide a representative picture of local editorial opinion. Some commentary is taken directly from the Internet. This report summarizes and interprets foreign editorial opinion and does not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Government. This analysis was based on 51 reports from 20 countries over November 27 - December 3, 2004.