based al-Nadwa said unification of the Muslim ranks is a major goal for the Kingdom's policy. King Abdullah ibn Abdul-Aziz has renewed the call for uniting the Muslim ranks because he deeply believes that unity is the way for the restoration of the glories of the Muslims, said the paper noting that Islam is the religion of moderation, love, fraternity and tolerance. On the issue of direct negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis, Jeddah-based al-Madina said the Arabs don't reject the principle of direct negotiations, but the problem is that Israeli Premier Netanyahu doesn't want to change his settlement policy, adding that in any way the final decision in this respect will be left to the President of the Palestinian national authority. The paper pointed to pressures put on the President of the Palestinian national authority urging him to start direct negotiations without any hesitation, otherwise confidence in his government will be shaken, or in other words failure to start direct negotiations will have an adverse impact on the Palestinian-American relations. What causes anxiety is the fact that direct negotiations will start at the time when indirect negotiations have failed to attain any progress, noted the daily underscoring the importance of a unified Palestinian stand vis-a-vis the new challenge. --more
