HEADLINES & EDITORIALS

HEADLINES FROM THE HEBREW PRESS HA’ARETZ 1. FORUM OF SHARON’S ADVISERS: LEAVE THE LIKUD. Those who support leaving: Sharon in freefall in Likud but enjoys great public support that will translate into votes. Those who support staying: Warning Sharon against temptation of polls that predict victory for his new party. Sharon to Ha’aretz: „I am a Likud man, I initiated its establishment, and I see no reason to quit the Likud.” 2. FIRST CONSTRUCTION PERMIT IN DISPUTED E-1 AREA: JUDEA AND SAMARIA POLICE HQ. 3. YESHIVA STUDENT MURDERED IN JERUSALEM KNIFE ATTACK. 4. MACCABI VS. NICOSIA. Maccabi Tel Aviv to host Apoel Nicosia in UEFA Cup preliminary round. HATZOFEH 1. Secret negotiations designed to prevent stone-throwing in streets. EXPOSE: AGREEMENT ACHIEVED ON POSTPONING EXPULSION – BUT SHARON WANTED HASRSH PICTURES. Time: Start of expulsion; horrific images already in background. Sides: Rabbi Zaafari – representative of rabbis Shapira and Eliyahu, Omri Sharon, Zeev Hever and PM’s Bureau representative. Mediator: Nir Barkat. They spent days and nights and reached agreement on postponing expulsion by several weeks during which solutions would be found. Rabbis Eliyahu and Shapira agreed to guarantee quiet evacuation and withdrawal of infiltrators. But PM torpedoed everything, was explained in his bureau: He fears quiet evacuation will serve image of Gush Katif residents. 2. MAN KILLED IN KNIFE ATTACK IN OLD CITY. Terrorism returns to Jerusalem – killed: Yeshiva student, British citizen. His friend was stabbed with kitchen knife by terrorist who fled – situation defined as moderate. 3. (.). SENIOR FUGITIVDE ZAKARYA ZABIDI PRAISES SHARON. MA’ARIV 1. Netanyahu would beat Sharon – but weaken the Likud. EN ROUTE TO ELECTIONS. Moment after disengagement, political establishment is convinced: No alternative to dissolution of Knesset. Ma’ariv-tns/Teleseker poll: Netanyahu would find it hard to win in any scenario. 2. LAST NIGHT: HAREDI TOURIST MURDERED IN KNIFE ATTACK. Shmuel Mat, yeshiva student from London, returned from prayers at Western Wall and was stabbed near Jaffa Gate. 3. SEX ON THE OLD MAN’S [DAVID BEN-GURION’S] GRAVE. Shameless: Thus Sde Boker high school students celebrate end of studies. YEDIOT AHRONOT 1. Palestinian murders young Haredi man in eastern Jerusalem – and flees. FATAL STABBING IN OLD CITY. Shmuel Mat, 21, first eastern Jerusalem terrorism victim in three years. Additional young man wounded. 2. SOLDIERS WERE ASTOUNDED: MOTHER, GRANDMOTHER AND SEVEN CHILDREN RETURNED TO SA-NUR HOME. They hid for two days in nearby wadi, stole into home yesterday evening and barricaded themselves – and were evacuated along with the beds. 3. NETANYAHU DEMANDS: CALL ME ‘FORMER PRIME MINISTER’. ______________________________ EDITORIALS FROM THE HEBREW PRESS Yediot Ahronot notes that the evacuation of the Jewish communities in the Gaza Strip and northern Samaria refuted several pre-evacuation contentions including: „The settlements have created an irreversible reality on the ground,” „Opposition to the evacuation will be terrible and fearsome,” and, „Sharon will not evacuate any settlement.” Yediot Ahronot, in its second editorial, suggests that the world will not necessarily rush to embrace post-evacuation Israel if more evacuations are not forthcoming. The editors discount any possible lessons or ramifications of the evacuation for the Palestinians regarding their solving their refugee problem and assert that this is because, „The Palestinian establishment is neither capable of, nor interested in, telling the truth to its people – You will not return.” The paper suggests that settlers living beyond the security fence and not in the major settlement blocs might want to start making plans to pack. Hatzofeh suggests that US President George Bush is trumpeting the Disengagement Plan and is pushing Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to make even more concessions in order to mask the failure of US policy in Iraq. BPI-info