RIYADH, 3 May — Saudi newspapers blasted the United Nations and the United States yesterday for allowing Israel to dictate terms by refusing to allow a UN fact-finding team into the Palestinian refugee camp in Jenin.
"It appears Israel has forcibly joined the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, and now has the veto power," said Al-Watan.
The paper charged that Israel had so far succeeded in challenging the will of the international community thanks to unlimited support from the United States.
"It is not enough for UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to become angry and disband the mission. Annan, the Security Council and General Assembly must implement chapter seven of the UN Charter," which provides for the use of force against Israel, Al-Watan said.
"Enough is enough," Al-Madinah cried at Israel’s continual rejection of the UN mission established on April 22 to look into nine days of destruction and carnage at the West Bank camp last month.
"Arabs must press international institutions to adopt penalties against the racist (Israeli) entity and press the United States to side with the right," it added.
In a letter sent to the Security Council on Wednesday, Annan said Israeli officials had continued to raise new objections to the team, and there were signs that they would raise more. Annan intended to disband the team today.
Al-Jazirah newspaper warned that such a situation might result in a catastrophe for international relations.
"Neither the United States nor the United Nations nor others seem capable of curbing Israel. In fact it is Israel that is imposing its vision on the UN," said the daily. "The surrender of the whole world to Israel in this despised way means that we should expect more Israeli provocations," it warned.
"Israel has provided further proof that it is an entity above the law," Dubai’s Al-Bayan said, warning against "US bias toward the terrorist Israeli state."
"If the world wanted any more evidence that something is seriously wrong in the way the international community deals with the Middle East problem, Israel has offered it in the form of telling the UN to throw its resolutions in the sea," said The Gulf Today, also of the United Arab Emirates.
"Isn’t it time for the Arab world told the Europeans to stop sitting on the fence and take decisive action at this critical juncture or face setbacks to their interests in the Arab world?" it asked.
For Oman newspaper, "Israel’s persistence in its negligence toward international law is explained by Washington’s manifest bias toward the Jewish state."
It urged Arabs to face up to it "by all forms of solidarity and by closing ranks."
