The suicide attacks in Tripoli, Lebanon and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s participation in the Paris rally against terrorism dominated Arab media coverage this week.

Commenting on the attack, Lebanon’s The Daily Star noted: “The cowardly attack on a busy cafe in Tripoli, which killed at least nine, was clearly an attempt to sow discord in a city slowly recovering from years of strife, but it appears it was in vain.

“The first major terrorist attack in the city since the Army finally managed to successfully implement its security plan in April 2014, the twin suicide attack, while carried out by two Lebanese, was the work of external forces.

“It appears that all sides have, for a variety of reasons, grown tired of the fighting and [are] disinterested in resuming such wanton and pointless bloodshed. All parties and sects were unanimous in condemning the attack...

“Although this was a tragic event which resulted in the unnecessary loss of civilian life, if a silver lining is to be taken from it, it is that there seems to be growing unity and a desire for peace in areas where there once was gunfire and bloodshed.”

In it’s take on the issue, Lebanon’s Assafir said that the Jabal Mohsen massacre was a living example of criminality and terrorist extremism that can only grow in caves of darkness, and... as a result of exclusion, poverty, marginalisation and unemployment.

“Violence has become the only means to express an opinion. Many young people, who have no future, due to lack of jobs and poverty, fall victim to sick minded and evil persons. The two suicide bombers are examples of those misled and brainwashed youth.

“However, unlike previous rounds of fighting, the Tripoli suicide bombings were not met with celebration in other areas of the city. [They were] universally condemned and met with sadness. We hope the nationwide condemnation and solidarity against the attacks remain strong and help gather momentum against terrorism.”

Provocative participation

In its editorial on the Paris march, the Sharjah-based Al Khaleej daily blasted Netanyahu for daring to attend the anti-terrorism rally, and described his participation as provocative.

“The rally came as a global show of rejection of the blind terrorism represented by terrorists who enjoy killing for [the sake of] killing. Netanyahu’s presence at the Paris rally [set a] discordant [note] and was provocative, as he represents a terrorist entity that lives only on aggression, bloodshed and massacres. Israel [is] just like those who committed the attacks in Paris, and also [similar to] terrorist organisations like Daesh [the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant] and Al Nusra front and all other factions that emerged from the womb of terrorism in Iraq, Syria, Egypt, Libya and Yemen, Somalia, Pakistan and others.

“Netanyahu’s presence at the rally was a flagrant example of provocation and hypocrisy. Just a few months ago, his troops killed more than 2,000 civilians in the Gaza Strip, [many] of them children, in one of the... most brutal and barbaric massacres in modern history. This participation, however, will not give him a... [patina] of innocence, and will not wash his hands [that are] stained with the blood of thousands of innocent people.

Commenting on this topic, Palestine’s Al Quds Al Arabi said that Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu had put politics back on the right track when he said peace would prevail in the world when world leaders participate in a rally in occupied Jerusalem, the capital of a free Palestine.

“Davutoglu did the right thing by joining the rally although he was criticised by the leader of the Nationalist Movement Party [in Turkey] for participation in the rally because Netanyahu was there.

“However, Turkey’s participation in the unity rally would send a strong message to groups that want to blame the recent attacks in France on the Islamic world. It also undermined Netanyahu’s attempts to portray Israel as a victim of terrorism by using the death of the four Jews who were killed in the attack [on a kosher supermarket].

“Turkey also sent a clear message to the world when its President Recep Tayyip Erdogan blasted Netanyahu for ‘daring’ to attend the rally and said that he was leading state terrorism against the Palestinians.

“Events worldwide are dominated by hypocrisy and double standards, turning the clock back to zero and making one ask: Who is responsible for terrorism, really?”

Oman’s Al Watan observed that the provocative Israeli presence at the Paris rally still draws the attention of many people as the leaders of the Israeli occupation entity attempted to take advantage and promote themselves as proponents of world peace, while instigating world public opinion against all Muslims.

“No one can imagine a terrorist like Netanyahu, who killed 78 journalists and 5,000 Palestinians in three wars against Gaza in five years, would dare to join a rally against terrorism and condemn terrorists. [Not only is he] one of them, but [he is also] the current leader of terrorists.”