Opinionline: Editorial views from around the region

Jerusalem Post

Justifiably or not, the Muslim world perceives the Obama administration as weak. And Hamas is betting that as the conflict in the south drags on, U.S. President Barack Obama will be less outspoken than George W. Bush was in his support of Israel. And Egypt — which is highly dependent on U.S. aid — is betting that it will not be put under enormous U.S. pressure to force Hamas to stop the rocket and mortar fire against Israel.

Under the new geopolitical circumstances, Hamas has not only allowed the various terrorist organizations in Gaza to shoot rockets and mortar shells at civilians in the South and attack IDF patrols. The anti- Semitic terrorist organization — which includes the Protocols of the Elders of Zion in its official Charter — has increasingly launched attacks of its own. The resulting escalations have resulted in nearly 1,000 rockets and mortar shells fired at Israel since the beginning of the year.

Israel was left little choice but to use force to restore deterrence. Hamas must be made to realize that it will pay a hefty price for targeting innocent Israelis. And a broad consensus that spans the mainstream political spectrum supports the move.

Haaretz (Tel Aviv)

These two Arab states (Egypt and Jordan) — the only ones that have signed peace agreements with Israel, and which are scrupulous about maintaining them — absorb most of the political shrapnel scattered by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In Egypt, there are many forces and movements, both religious and secular, that are demanding that ties with Israel be severed. Jordan fears that a continuation of the operation in Gaza will spark massive protest demonstrations that would be exploited to undermine King Abdullah's control of the country.

Israel, which may be intoxicated by its army's ability to strike at the "terrorist infrastructure," must also think about the day after the operation: It must leave open diplomatic options that Arab countries can and will want to take up. Israel will derive little security benefit if the military operation succeeds in liquidating another few senior Hamas figures and destroying another few command posts and missile stockpiles, but destroys our relationships with Egypt and Jordan in the process and diverts world attention from Syria to Gaza and Jerusalem.

The Daily Star (Beirut, Lebanon)

No one doubts the capabilities of Israel's military — on paper — but having superior force doesn't necessarily guarantee a victory.

Hamas and other groups have now demonstrated their ability to inflict pain on Israel, but the Jewish state responds each time in a similar fashion. Some will argue that the rockets led to this flare-up of violence, but in fact it is the blockade of Gaza by the Israelis that led to the rockets.

Gazans and their leaders lack control over everything from their supplies of food, water and electricity to their sovereignty, since their land and sea borders are at the mercy of others.

Gaza is treated like a prison, with a million people crowded into a space that should contain fewer than half that number.

Instead of "dealing with Gaza" in terms of its rockets, there should be efforts to deal with the appalling, Israeli-supervised siege of Gaza.

The Jordan Times (Amman, Jordan)

The deliberate, disproportionate use of firepower by Israel in response to Palestinian rockets is meant to inflame spirits and expand the scope of conflict, with a clear political purpose in mind.

This time, the Israeli escalation comes some time before the Israeli elections, projected for January, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants to look forceful in combating the Palestinians, with an eye on being re-elected.

Only a few days ago Netanyahu announced new settlement activity in East Jerusalem, the purpose being the same: show Israelis that he is the right man for them.

Might be, but he is bad news for peace with the Palestinians and the rest of the Arabs.

The Palestinians must not fall in Israel's trap. They should avoid giving it excuses to implement its designs, its well calculated moves to destabilize the area along its border with the Gaza Strip.