The Middle peace summit at Sharm el-Sheikh crowned an Israeli victory and failed to meet even basic Palestinian expectations, Gulf newspapers declared on Wednesday.
"The Sharm el-Sheikh summit achieved Israel's tactical and strategic objectives," said Qatar's Al-Watan.
"What the president of the Palestinian authority obtained is only an infinitesimal part of the winnings, if we can talk of winnings," the daily said.
The summit produced a deal to halt the violence, which has left 111 dead and 3,500 wounded, as well as a probe into its causes and to revive the peace process.
"These results met Israeli demands, no more, no less," said Al Raya of Doha.
But it warned: "the victory proclaimed by (Israeli Prime Minister) Ehud Barak is ephemeral because the Palestinian masses are angry and determined to continue the Intifada despite the pressures."
The Saudi daily Al-Riyadh saw "enormous holes" in the accord because the summit failed to provide "the minimal solutions" sought by the Palestinians.
"The continued destruction of Palestinian homes by tanks and Israeli missiles shows that what is happening on the ground is one thing, and what happens in air-conditioned rooms is another," Al-Bilad, another Saudi paper, noted.
Al-Watan, edited in Abha, Saudi Arabia, said the failure to meet Palestinian demands was "an undeclared failure" at the summit.
"Ehud Barak came out victorious," the daily said. "The ink on the agreement was no sooner dry than Barak declared he had achieved his objectives." - DUBAI (AFP)
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