Jordan paper sees Merkel "destroying" Germany's balanced policy

Mar 19, 2008, 9:21 GMT

Amman - A Jordanian newspaper on Wednesday expressed 'disappointment' over the current visit to Israel by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and accused her of 'destroying' the even- handed policy Germany has so far pursued towards the Middle East.

'We all feel disappointment because Germany has accustomed us over the past years to pursue a balanced role on the Palestinian question, but Merkel's visit (to Israel) has completely destroyed this role,' the independent daily newspaper Alarab Alyawm said in an editorial.

'Our big disappointment also stems from the fact that Merkel's trip to Israel comes after only weeks from the Israeli holocaust against the Gaza Strip and at a time when the Israelis celebrate the 60th anniversary of creating the Zionist entity, the usurpation of Palestine and expelling millions of Palestinians,' the paper said.

Alarab Alyawm cited Merkel's remark in Jerusalem that 'any threat to Israel will be a threat to Germany.'

'We wonder whether this means that the German chancellor is interested in building up a strategic partnership with a state that occupies the lands of three Arab states and is involved in a continuous war with the Palestinian and Lebanese peoples,' the paper said.