Commentators say the attacks have pushed Turkey firmly into the arms of the West and that they prove the validity of President George W Bush's policy of pre-emptive strikes against terrorism.

Europe comes in for criticism for allegedly failing to act decisively in the war against terrorism and fears are expressed that more such attacks are in the offing.

The issue is not whether it was against Jews, Turkey, or the West: It was all of the above The Jerusalem Post

The Jerusalem Post says: "This was an old-fashioned pogrom employing the latest method, the car bomb. At the same time, however, this was an attack against Turkey."

The bombings "illustrate the indivisibility of terrorism. The issue is not whether it was against Jews, Turkey, or the West: it was all of the above."

Europe under fire

The Post blames Europe for not doing enough. "How many countries have to be hit before Europe concludes, in an operational way, that we are in this together?," it asks.

"The longer Europe waits to join the fight in earnest, the more it risks not only its own security, but what it seems to value more, its standing as the world's self-appointed moral arbiter."

Writing in the largest circulation Yedi'ot Aharonot, Alex Fishman warns the world to "Prepare quickly".

The attack against Jews, and the Jewish institutions and symbols around the world can be expected to spread Yedi'ot Aharonot

"The murderous terror attacks in Istanbul are part of a phenomenon that will only get worse, aimed at transferring power to extremist Islam.

"Extremist Islam has decided to derail what it calls 'the train of Western imperialism,' - and from its point of view, the Jews are the engine. They are imperialism's spearhead.

"Therefore, the attack against the Jews, and Jewish institutions and symbols around the world can be expected to spread. Even if the Istanbul attack was not perpetrated directly by al-Qaeda, it was carried out in its spirit," Mr Fishman believes.

He concludes: "It is part of a series of attempts by al-Qaeda and its offshoots to overthrow the moderate, pro-Western Islamic regimes."

'Tough enemy'

The former Israeli Foreign Ministry chief and ambassador to Turkey Dr Alon Li'el, writing in Ma'ariv, describes the attacks as "first and foremost an attack by insane Islam against sane Islam".

"The perpetrators of the attacks, in their madness and stupidity, yesterday sent Turkey finally into the arms of the West and created a tough enemy which will take sharp action against it in the future."

Dr Li'el believes the West "is fighting for its very existence and definitely not just the religious aspect of it".

Yesterday's attacks prove once again that US President George Bush was right. Fighting terror requires a readiness to use offensive measures as well as pre-emptive blows Ha'aretz commentator

US President George W. Bush's pro-active approach to the fight against terrorism is proven right by the attacks, argues Amir Oren in Ha'aretz.

"To find the culprits - and to foil the next attack - requires joint action by many countries... By using only defensive measures, there is no possibility of assuring the security of potential victims."

"Yesterday's attacks prove once again, despite the criticism, that US President George Bush was right. Fighting terror requires a readiness to use offensive, and not only defensive measures, as well as the need to implement deterrent and pre-emptive blows."

An editorial in Ha'aretz says the attacks highlight "the shared fate of Jews in Israel and abroad. This shared fate is what is bringing thousands of Jews to Jerusalem today".

Writing in Ha'aretz, Ya'ir Sheleg believes the attacks "will silence, if only for several days, the wave of sharp anti-Israeli outbursts in Europe".

"They are expected to increase the resolve of the European governments to act against the wave of anti-Semitism."

BBC Monitoring, based in Caversham in southern England, selects and translates information from radio, television, press, news agencies and the Internet from 150 countries in more than 70 languages.