From the Chinese Press

A leader like Sharon

The former Israeli prime minister and general Ariel Sharon died on Saturday after eight years in a coma. Bestriding his country's history for more than 50 years, Sharon divided opinion as to whether he was a hero or butcher, a ruthless "bulldozer" or peace dove. In the eyes of Israelis, Sharon was a distinguished military leader, despite his campaign fundraising and bribery scandals. But he was loathed by Palestinians who held him responsible for the massacres in the Beirut refugee camps in 1982. However, as a Jordanian political analyst said eight years ago, perhaps no Israeli political figure has acted as decisively as Sharon when it comes to peacemaking, says an article in Xinhua Daily Telegraph. Excerpts:

The Israeli-Palestinian peace process has repeatedly renewed hope and then ended up as a disappointment. It has drained the faith and ideals of generations of Israelis and Palestinians. The crux of the problem is too many "principles" that seemingly cannot to be compromised, that Jerusalem cannot be split, that Israeli settlement building must continue, that there is no way for Palestinian refugees to return homes.