1. SHARON TO PROPOSE TO ABU MAZEN TODAY: GRADUAL ASSUMPTION OF RESPONSIBILITY FOR SECURITY AND RESUMPTION OF GESTURES.
HAARETZ This evening: Second meeting between Sharon and Abu Mazen in Jerusalem. Weekend: US administration emissaries to prepare for three-way summit. Tuesday: Bush to meet Arab leaders at Sharm. Wednesday: Bush to meet Sharon and Abu Mazen in Sharm. Thursday: Bush to go to Qatar to visit US forces. 2. NIGHT DISCUSSION IN KNESSET AND INQUIRY: WHO VOTED IN ERDANS PLACE? 3. Hebron: Jihad Mosque soccer team players have murdered 12 Israelis in attacks. SUICIDE TERRORISTS IN HEBRON: SIX MEMBERS OF SOCCER TEAM. 4. MILITARY POLICEWOMEN TO LOOK FOR WOMAN SUICIDE TERRORISTS AT ROADBLOCKS. 5. REFUSENIK DRAFTED WITHOUT OATH; WILL WORK WITH CIVILIANS. HATZOFEH 1. Economists: Harshest plan that has ever been submitted to Knesset. BLOW TO BENEFITS AND WAGE REDUCTIONS IN FINANCE MINISTRY PLAN THAT WILL BE APPROVED TODAY. Cuts to reach NIS 10 billion. Parties mobilized all members for votes. Netanyahu refused to give in on health tax for housewives. Opposition factions rejected compromise will continue with their reservations. Wage cuts for many population sectors. 7,000 local authority employees to be dismissed. Severe blow expected to support payments for handicapped. Plan to provide considerable benefits for well-established sectors. Finance Minister intends to propose additional NIS 1 billion cut. 2. WHITE HOUSE CONFIRMS: BUSH TO ARRIVE IN MIDDLE EAST NEXT WEEK. Will confer with Arab heads of state in Egypt and meet Sharon and Abu Mazen in Aqaba. 3. SHARON TO MEET ABU MAZEN WILL MAKE GESTURES TO PALESTINIANS. MAARIV 1. Electric Company threatens: We will resume sanctions. 1,000 teachers saved from dismissal. ECONOMIC DECREES ON THEIR WAY. Marathon Knesset votes to end today. Ambitious economic plan takes effect. 2. Expos?: Army capitulates again agreed that youth will serve as civilian. IDF OFFERS REFUSENIKS: ENLISTMENT WITHOUT BASIC TRAINING OR WEAPONS. I will not serve occupation, Rotem Ronen declared. IDF compromised: Will spend three years without swearing on the Bible, without going to firing range and without basic training. Refusenik Yonatan Ben-Artzi: They offered me similar conditions. 3. EPHRAIM HALEVY SUBMITS LETTER OF RESIGNATION TO SHARON. National security Adviser asked to resign post on same day that PMs Office Director-General resigned. Sharon asked: Please reconsider. YEDIOT AHRONOT 1. Exclusive: Palestinian PM to Yediot Ahronot ahead of this evenings meeting with Sharon. ABU MAZEN: AGREEMENT WITH HAMAS ON HALTING TERROR SOON. In interview with Nahum Barnea and Ronni Shaked, Palestinian PM estimates: Next week, Hamas will commit to halting attacks in Israel and territories. I am prepared to assume responsibility for security over territories that IDF withdraws from. IDF halts aggressive actions in order to give roadmap a chance. 2. WEARYING BATTLE ON WAY TO ECONOMIC DECREES. Knesset expected to approve economic plan today: Bad for pensions, wage cuts and blow to child support payments. ______________________________ SUMMARY OF EDITORIALS FROM THE HEBREW PRESS Hatzofeh expresses great surprise at Prime Minister Sharons recent comments and asks, Are we really talking about the same man? The editors reject the assertion that this is just an exercise and urge both the left and the right to, take him seriously. The paper believes that No one will be more cruel in the battle with the settlers than him, and argue that The Israeli voter in the last elections did not vote for Ariel Sharon. These were not elections based on personalities. The voter voted for the Likud platform, for Netanyahu, for Livnat, for Landau among others. He also voted for Sharon, but for Sharon the trickster, who always believed in the Greater Land of Israel, even if he made several tactical withdrawals. The editors call on Prime Minister Sharon to go home. Yediot Ahronot comments that the economic plan, which was approved yesterday, does not include major changes, which attack the lower classes, despite the impression that the demonstrators attempted to create and succeeded in creating. The editors point out that, The main part of the plan is in structural reform, (reducing salaries, privatization, managerial flexibility in the public sector, nationalization of pension funds), which will weaken the Histadrut and professional unions, and strengthen the business sector and the government. Yediot Ahronot, in its second editorial, discusses the proposed changes for pension plans in the economic plan and says that, They have left approximately one million members of these pension plans confused and scared.
