On May 4, the Al-Akhbar daily carried the following report: “Although the State is acting to “isolate” the Al-Azhra sheikh through the law, there are fears regarding the inability to pass a draft law that sets the term of the Higher Imam to eight years only, amidst the State’s desire to oust Ahmed el-Tayeb from his post at the soonest possible time. The present urgent desire of the Authority to overthrow the Al-Azhar Sheikh, Ahmed el-Tayeb – who is supposed to remain in his post for at least another fifteen years – is slamming against real concerns regarding a popular anger against the draft law since El-Tayeb is considered to constitute “a symbol of Sunni Islam” in Egypt and is very popular in the Street and in the circles of the imams… (Read More)

A commentary on May 4 in the reformist E'temad from Majid Farahani, Secretary General of the Neda Party, said: "Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, Mayor of Tehran, is thinking of sovereignty again. His 12-year headship of the municipality, which also meant the presence of the Principlists as members of Tehran City Council, has made him think that by following the example of Mahmud Ahmadinejad and resorting to his methods, he can find a way to the presidency seat through mayorship and derive benefit thereof. However, the reality is that, this time again, like the previous times, the brigadier general mayor will fail to meet mistress fortune due to what I call lack of discourse and a gelatinous political-intellectual identity. The essential point is that, if we consider the councils as urban parliaments and places for legislation and supervision, and consider municipalities as local governments and authorities for executive administration, then we can have a real assumption and image of his performance, background, prospect and potential executive abilities. The substance of his supervision has mainly planned to target the interests of a group, and his executive administration has drawn inside-the-group lobbying as the pivot of his politics. And this the same outlook that adopted the strategy of supportive silence against Ahmadinejad's violations and lawlessness. In other words, the supervisory position of the City Council was reduced only towards the mayor's rivals in a reductive approach and a functionalist outlook, and the City Council left its legislative position and adopted another function, which meant supporting the municipality and not necessarily considering the interests of the city and of the people! It can be inferred from this strategy that Qalibaf and Ahmadinejad are the two sides of the same coin; an unpopular coin called populism. The least outcome of such rulership is disorder, disturbance, obstruction, disruption, interference and conflict with sustainable development… (Read More)

On May 7, the independent Al-Mada newspaper carried the following report by its correspondent in Baghdad Muhammad Sabah: “The talks being conducted by the leaders over the next stage have stirred the stagnant political water, which had resulted from the country’s preoccupation with the war on ISIL in its last strongholds in Mosul, and the “summit of rivals” between Nouri al-Maliki and Iyad al-Allawi inaugurated a week of heavy political surprises, which reached their peak with the resumption of the relations between As-Sadr on one hand, and Al-Hakim and the parliament speaker on the other… Hence, after a period of severance that went on for more than a year, As-Sadr received the head of the National Alliance at his residence in Najaf City, and the two discussed the post-ISIL state, the activation of Parliament’s monitoring, and the fate of the Electoral Commission, which had been interrogated by the Sadrist Al-Ahrar bloc… (Read More)

On May 4, Maysam Rizk wrote the following report in Al-Akhbar daily newspaper: “…Some say that “the main battle of the Future movement is with Hezbollah.” However, there’s an unannounced battle that is currently being launched by part of the Futurists with the Free Patriotic movement and its head, Gibran Bassil. No matter how close the latter is getting to PM Sa’d al-Hariri and his cousin, Nader, the foreign minister [Gibran Bassil] remains an unacceptable figure primarily for the Future base and also for the majority of the movement’s officials… (Read More)

On May 4, the Ad-Diyyar daily newspaper carried the following report by Yasser al-Hariri: “Is the region standing on the crater of a volcano or a war? And is Lebanon standing in the circle of the Israeli targeting? Are we being faced by the scenarios of the upcoming war or have the global influential powers, mainly Washington and Moscow taken some specific arrangements to prevent the breaking out of an Israeli war with the Resistance axis in the region?… (Read More)

On May 4, the Ad-Diyyar daily newspaper carried the following report: “The Ain el Helweh camp is facing new concerns on a daily basis and spending most of its nights listening to the rhythm of the popped hand grenades and the military rounds between Fatah and the groups affiliated to Col. Mahmoud Issa aka El-Lino on one hand, and the Islamic takfiri groups on the other hand. These groups came together under the flag of the Muslim Youth, which called for the mobilization of the joint security force led by Col. Bassam al-Massaad with the aim of imposing stability in the capital of the diaspora… (Read More)

On May 8, the Lebanese privately-owned Al-Joumhouria newspaper carried the following opinion piece by Johnny Mnayyar: “The Middle East is preparing for American President Donald Trump’s first foreign visit, which he decided to launch from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia… that will be signing arms deals worth tens of billions of dollars, enough to pump more money into the American economic wheel and secure lucrative commercial contracts for the weapons industry, i.e. the main pillar of the team that led Trump to the White House. Naturally, the American president will also have things to offer to Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States in their open conflict with Iran and at the level of the bleeding wound in Yemen, especially since by then, the Iranian elections will have been held, which will once again trigger the American pressures on Iran after a period of truce imposed by the elections… (Read More)

On May 7, the pro-Hamas Filistin newspaper carried the following opinion piece by Dr. Youssef Razka: “The election of Isma’il Haniyah as the leader of Hamas Movement and the successor of Brother Khalid Mish’al was a natural evolution going in line with the regulations governing Hamas’s internal status, in light of the expiry of the legal term of the movement’s chairman after he served two consecutive mandates. We say it is a natural evolution because the Hebrew media tried to place Haniyah’s election in the context of specific internal deals with Yahya as-Sinwar and Al-Qassam, as though Al-Qassam was the one that led Haniyah to this post, which is mere instigation rather than a seeking of objective truth. The Arab papers did not show much interest in the event, at a time when the Hebrew press extensively tackled it… (Read More)

On May 4, the Al-Akhbar daily newspaper carried the following piece by Abdullah al-Sennawi: “The Hamas document was not surprising in terms of its formulation, directions, and the amendments it tried to introduce to its identity. For a relatively long while, there have been signs and leaks on [the movement’s] near announcement of a state based on the borders of June 4, 1967, and it breaking its organizational connection to the Muslim Brothers group. Without any equivocation, the document constitutes a clear message indicating that “we are ready” to be a main and direct side at any potential negotiations adopted by US President Donald Trump… (Read More)

On May 8, the pro-monarch Al-Watan newspaper carried the following opinion piece by Ali Sa’d Musa: “Mr President, you took the whole world by surprise when you chose Riyadh as the first stop in your first visit during your presidential term, and this unprecedented American and Western event prompted dozens of political analysts to look into the cause of your choice. However, I believe that this matter is clear to you. You are coming to the only key left to save the burning map, seeing as how Riyadh is almost the only safe and stable place that has survived the storm of uncreative chaos, owing to its exceptional awareness. All the solutions today can only stem from Riyadh’s decision, and this is our historical fate which we, in the Kingdom, are forced to embrace. Mr President, let me take you 8 years back, when around this same time of year, the infamous Barack Obama came to us, then left Riyadh to deliver his famous speech at Cairo University… (Read More)

On May 4, the Al-Akhbar daily newspaper carried the following report by Ali Mrad: “…An officer who says he has broken away from the Saudi army and whose name is Abdul Wahed Bin Abdul Mohsen al-Arima al-Herabi, told Al-Akhbar that “the moral spirit of the Saudi troops has been shattered since the fourth month that saw the launching of the assault against Yemen.” Al-Herabi fled to Germany early this year. He says he had once held the post of the secretary to the Head of the “armed forces’ administration commission” at the Saudi ministry of defense, Maj. Gen. Ali Bin Saad al-Merhi. The latter is directly in charge of running the affairs of the armed forces and putting them on trial. All the reports detailing the difficulties facing the troops of Bin Salman’s ministry of defense land in his office… (Read More)

On May 8, the Qatari-owned Al-Quds al-Arabi daily carried the following report by its correspondent in Khartoum Salahuddin Mustafa: “Some observers attributed the delayed proclamation of the National Concord Government in Sudan to disputes between the participating parties and to a conflict over power, seeing how Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir had announced the completion of the consultations over the government formation more than a week ago, assuring it would be proclaimed within days, which never happened. The political scene in the country had witnessed numerous battles over the division of the authority’s cake, which the president himself called “small…,” while according to the National Dialogue Conference, based on which participation in the government is seen, 77 parties, 34 armed movements and 75 national figures are expecting executive or legislative positions… (Read More)

On May 8, the Qatari-owned Al-Quds al-Arabi daily carried the following report by its correspondent in Hasakah Abdul Razzak Nabhan: “During the last few days, several media outlets carried information about intensive preparations being conducted by the Army of Revolutionaries, affiliated with the Syrian Democratic Forces that are mainly composed of Kurdish Protection Units, and Al-Assad’s regime with Russian air support, to carry out a new military action in the cities of Andan and Darat Izza, which enjoy a strategic position linking the northern and western countryside of Aleppo, and ensuring an entry into Aleppo City. An exclusive source said at this level: “The Syrian Democratic Forces and Al-Assad’s regime forces are preparing for a possible attack to retake the cities of Andan and Darat Izza in Aleppo’s western countryside from the Syrian opposition factions… (Read More)

On May 2, a column by Hossein Shariatmadari in the conservative Keyhan said: "There is a fable about somebody who sees the Devil -- that is the Great Satan -- in his dream, holding many long and short ropes in his hands. "What are all these ropes for?" asked the dreamer bewilderingly. "I hang each one of these ropes around the neck of the God's folks and seduce them away from the right path and towards myself," replied the Devil. The guy whose bewilderment had turned into curiosity asked: "Which one of these ropes you are considering for me?" The Great Satan laughed and said: "You have come to me at will, therefore there is no need for any ropes and wrestling! These ropes are for those who resist me and refuse to turn away from the right path."… (Read More)