India must support the Palestinians

Democracies like India must support the Palestinian cause and should always stand with them, said Tarek A. Mishkhas, editor-in-chief of Malayalam News and Urdu News, sister publications of Arab News. He was speaking at the Meet-the-Press program organized by the Calicut Press Club in the northern Kerala city of Calicut.
Mishkhas, who is currently visiting India, said the political interest of the two countries might be the reason for different bilateral agreements between India and Israel despite India’s strong solidarity with Palestine.
“Different countries have different interests in the Middle East. It would be a mistake if you analyzed the Palestine situation only based on Western media reports,” he said.
Tarek said there were misconceptions about press freedom in Arab countries. Saudi Arabia doesn’t allow defaming any religion including Islam through media, but the press has the right to criticize government actions.
He said the waves of Arab Spring would not reach to Saudi Arabia because of its political situation. “Saudi Arabia is different from those Arab countries where revolutions have taken place. Saudi people don’t want sectarian movements. They need a united country,” he pointed out.
Democracy in India is successful, but the case is different in many other democratic countries, the Saudi journalist said. “We cannot say democracy is the final word.”
Tarek, who is also a well-known sports journalist, said Saudi Arabia is building up a strong base for its sports activities. Lack of planning is a major challenge that could be overcome. Sports academies are being formed to find out talented children and develop them into good sportsmen.
SudhirKumar, president of the press club, presented a memento to Mishkhas, and KJ Joseph welcomed him to the gathering. C K Hassankoya, news editor of Malayalam News, also attended.