16.03.2004 HAARETZ 1. ARAFAT REJECTS HIS MINISTERS DEMAND TO ACT AGAINST TERROR ORGANIZATIONS. PM to demand sharp response from Cabinet over Ashdod terrorist attack. 2. 10-YEAR-OLD BOY SENT TO ROADBLOCK WITH BOMB; ATTEMPT TO DETONATE HIM NEAR SOLDIERS FAILS. 3. THOUSANDS OF PALESTINIANS WITH BLUE ID CARDS RETURNING TO INSIDE JERUSALEM CITY LIMITS. 4. FEBRUARY CPI: 0.2% – FIRST INCREASE SINCE AUGUST. Declined 2.5% last year; assessment: [Bank of Israel Governor David] Klein will lower interest rates.
HATZOFEH 1. DAY OF FUNERALS. Those murdered in Ashdod terrorist attack were laid to rest yesterday. In Ashdod: Flags flown at half-staff, atmosphere of heavy mourning. Port workers around country observed minute of silence. Ashdod port workers gathered at site of attack and expressed outrage and frustration. Worker said: We must return to work quickly in order not to give terrorists feeling of victory. 2. Terrorist hid behind demonstrators against fence – and opened fire. BOMB IN SCHOOL BAG. Thanks to alertness of military policewoman – terrible disaster prevented. Yesterday, at roadblock near Nablus: She suspected 10-year-old boys schoolbag. 10-kilogram bomb, connected to cellular telephone, found in bag. 3. SHARONS POLITICAL SPEECH: WITHOUT MENTIONING DISENGAGEMENT. PM was not prepared to reveal his diplomatic plans – which he has discussed with Palestinians, Americans and Egyptians – to the Knesset. In order to avoid majority against him – Sharon refrained from talking about policy in speech. Said only one sentence on subject: There cannot be peace, before terror is defeated. Despite all his efforts, he won vote by one vote. 4. SURPRISING CPI: 0.2% – FIRST INCREASE AFTER SIX-MONTH DECLINE. Inflation up until now – 0%. MAARIV 1. Peak of brutality: 12-year-old boy was sent to blow up. CHILD BOMB. This is Abdallah Kuran. Instead of going to school, he works as a porter at a roadblock near Nablus. Yesterday, he arrived at site with booby-trapped school bag. Tanzim terrorists watched him and planned to blow him up near soldiers. But diabolical plan was thwarted thanks to alertness of Moran, woman police officer. 2. BUSH TO MAKE THE NEGEV BLOOM. Administration in Washington considering Israeli proposal to invest millions in Negev in exchange for disengagement. YEDIOT AHRONOT 1. Terrorists tried to blow up Palestinian boy at IDF roadblock. 10-YEAR-OLD BOY IN SERVICE OF TERROR. (
). 2. TARGET: KNESSET MEMBERS. Warning to Knesset: Terrorist organizations planning to attack public figures with letter bombs. 3. ASHDOD WEEPS. Six of those who were murdered in attack buried yesterday. 4. VANUNUS HOT TAPE. Storm over interview Prisons Service filmed with atomic spy in his cell. ______________________________ SUMMARY OF EDITORIALS FROM THE HEBREW PRESS Yediot Ahronot says that the security establishment is doing a fantastic job in thwarting terror and asserts that, Hundreds if not thousands of civilians walk, eat, and sleep today in the State of Israel and are unaware, and will never know, that they owe their lives
to the people
who have succeeded in foiling dozens of terror attacks. However, the paper adds that, There is no, and apparently never will be, victory in the war on terror, and fears that, There is no solution to the suicide bomber. Yediot Ahronot, in its second editorial, is skeptical of criticisms against the security services for failing to foil the terror attack in Ashdod. The editors claim that, There are hundreds of strategic targets in the State of Israel, and suggest that this is the daily reality in Israel. Hatzofeh says that, We must admit that this [Ashdod] terror attack is different from all other terror attacks we have experienced. The editors point out that the terrorists entered Israel from the Gaza strip even though the security establishment believed this to be impossible and that they were able to walk into the port through the front door. These circumstances prove that there is, no hermetic seal, against terror. The paper declares that in addition to the security lessons we must learn, there are also political ramifications: It teaches us that right now, there is no one to talk peace with
After the horrific terror attack, they [the Palestinians] celebrated in the streets, even though the Palestinian Authority condemned the attack. The editors urge Prime Minister Sharon to abandon preparations to implement the unilateral disengagement plan. Yediot Ahronot, in its third editorial, reminds its readers that we have been living with the reality of terror for over fifty years. BPI.
