The announcement by Israel that it will take steps to ease its blockade of the Gaza Strip has been roundly dismissed by the regional Arabic press as a cynical ploy.
Israel has been under severe international pressure to review its policy towards Gaza since its raid of a flotilla carrying aid to the strip left nine dead. An Israeli government statement said on Thursday that Israel would "liberalise the system by which civilian goods enter Gaza", but did not specify how this would happen.
Commentators in the Middle East argued that Israel was seeking only to mollify its critics rather than acting in the interests of lasting peace. Pundits across the region called for the blockade on Gaza to be lifted immediately.
The Israeli press paid little attention to the announcement, focusing instead on yesterday's protest by Ultra-Orthodox Jews in Jerusalem