HEADLINES FROM THE IZRAELI PRESS

HEADLINES FROM THE IZRAELI PRESS

HA’ARETZ:. Ha’aretz survey following cancellation of [early] elections and formation of unity Government.

63%: NETANYAHU AND MOFAZ MOVE POLITICALLY MOTIVATED

(…). Kadima receives promises on drafting the ultra-orthodox, changing the electoral system and portfolios. (…).

 

 

2. POLICE VIOLENCE AND ARRESTS AT TEL AVIV DEMONSTRATION AGAINST POLITICAL MANEUVER

Police detain protest leaders, journalists and Tel Aviv municipal council member.

 

 

3. RESEARCHERS: WE HAVE DISCOVERED MOTIFS WHICH MATCH SOLOMON’S TEMPLE

 

 

MA’ARIV

1. UNITY GOVERNMENT PUT TO THE TEST

Israel awoke yesterday morning to a new political reality: Instead of a stormy election campaign until September 4, a giant coalition of 94 MKs. (…).

 

YEDIOT AHRONOT

1. The deal and the maneuver:

THE WORD OF POLITICIANS

(…).

YISRAEL HAYOM

1. Survey by Yisrael Hayom and Hagal Hehadash: 40% favor unity; 32% against. 40% Netanyahu most suitable to lead Government; second place

Yacimovich with 11.3% only.

UNITY AND OPPORTUNITY

Surprise: While 109 MKs voted for dissolution, at the PM’s home Kadima’s inclusion in a unity government was being finalized. Result: Coalition of 94 MKs. Challenges: Formulation of a replacement for the Tal Law, change of electoral system, advancing the peace process and dealing with the Iranian threat. (…).

WALLA!

1. ASHTON AND NETANYAHU DISCUSSING RECENT CONTACTS BETWEEN WEST AND IRAN

 

 

NANA10

1. THE BROAD COALITION COMMENCES: MOFAZ TO BE SWORN-IN TODAY AS MINISTER

 

 

[Headlines for Walla! and Nana10 are from their websites as of 11:20.] ______________________________

 

SUMMARY OF OP-EDS FROM THE HEBREW PRESS

All three papers discuss the agreement between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Kadima Chairman MK Shaul Mofaz on bringing Kadima into the government:

Yediot Ahronot believes that the agreement fits the needs of both men and ventures that, „Mofaz has a surfeit of MKs and no voters. Netanyahu has a surfeit of voters

according to the polls at least

but he has seen how his party and the coalition are slipping away from him.” Regarding the latter, the author believes that, „Netanyahu recently encountered two events that made it clear to him that his party is detaching from him. On Sunday, he ascended the podium at the Likud Convention in what was to have been the festive launch of the 2012 elections. The delegates’ rebellion astounded him. He was also astounded by the number of religious delegates and signs in the air. On Monday, the High Court of Justice ruled that Ulpana hill in Beit El must be evacuated. Netanyahu knew that the High Court ruling put him in a bind: The ministers, who knew that if they supported the evacuation they would lose their Knesset seats, would not allow him to carry out the Court’s decision.” The paper adds that since the Prime Minister also knew that legislation to bypass the High Court would scare away centrist voters and invite international pressure, he embraced the deal with Shaul Mofaz and Kadima. The author says that, „A majority of the public, which did not understand why it was being led into unnecessary elections, will certainly be happy to hear that the elections have been rendered unnecessary,” but adds that, „The damage to the Israeli democracy is that as of now the Government has no parliamentary opposition,” given the Knesset factions not in the coalition are badly divided among themselves.

Ma’ariv asserts that the agreement was, „designed to scare away the vultures that were circling Kadima’s corpse, scare away the Feiglin supporters from the Likud and hang Livni out to dry at home for one-and-half years while Yair Lapid becomes irrelevant.” The author concludes: „Now we have to wait. Will our heroes change the electoral system? Will they draft the ultra-orthodox? Will they carry out the rulings of the High Court of Justice? The good news is that we will know soon. The bad news is that maybe it would be better not to know. If all of these promises happen, then it will have been worth it. Really. And if not? Then, all in all, we would have here yet another stinking trick in the increasingly smelly history of Israeli politics.”

 

Yisrael Hayom asserts that, „Today, most of the Zionist parties think in the same terms and, therefore, it is easy to split and unite,” and adds that, „Sixty-four years after the foundation of the state, the fact that there is a broad consensus allows for splits and unions as a matter of routine.”

BreuerPress info