HA’ARETZ 1. PERES ATTACKS OPPONENTS: YOU DON’T HAVE A CHANCE; WE WILL NOT DISMANTLE TEAM NEGOTIATING WITH LIKUD. Majority of Labor MKs oppose unity – initiated gathering of party chamber in order to prevent negotiations. Peres: Rebellion? There were barely 5 MKs. 2. RIVLIN SUGGESTS: ROTATION BETWEEN SHARON AND NETANYAHU. 3. ARIK ZE’EVI IN ISRAEL: I FEEL LIKE A FOOTBALL STAR. 4. JEWISH SOUP KITCHEN SET ABLAZE IN PARIS; ISRAEL SAYING: JUDGES ARE TO BLAME. 5. SIGNS OF RECOVERY IN TOURISM. HATZOFEH 1. Sharon signals desire to uproot Gush-Katif communities to Labor. TRANSFER ADMINISTRATION BEGINS OPERATIONS. Administration’s main mandate: give advance compensation payments. Eitam calls to NRP to quit coalition: (.). 2. REBELLION AGAINST CHAIRMAN. Peres’s opponents in Labor party gathered yesterday and called for coalition negotiation team to be dismantled and to elect permanent Chairman. Peres in response: a few members were jealous of Likud because they are revolting against their leader.
3. FRENCH PRESIDENT CONDEMNS ARSON ATTACK AGAINST JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER IN PARIS. 4. BANK OF ISRAEL: ECONOMIC GROWTH STUNTED. MA’ARIV 1. (.). SCHOOL YEAR TO START AS NORMAL (.). 2. YESHA SOURCES INVOLVED IN ANTI-UNITY ACTIVITY IN LABOR PARTY. 3. PEAK IN ANTI-SEMITISM: JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER SET ABLAZE IN PARIS. YEDIOT AHRONOT 1. LABOR REBELS: PRIMARIES NOW. Majority of Labor senior officials stood against Peres: demanding cease to negotiations for unity and elections for new Chairman. 2. AFTER AMERICAN APPROVAL: 500 MORE HOUSES TO BE BUILT IN TERRITORIES. Those who buy in settlements will receive mortgages that are hundreds of thousands larger than those buying inside the Green Line. 3. BURNING HATE: JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER SET ABLAZE IN PARIS. Arsonists sprayed „Jews out.” 4. TODAY IN ATHENS: GAL FRIEDMAN ON HIS WAY TO GOLD. ______________________________________________________ SUMMARY OF EDITORIALS FROM THE HEBREW PRESS Both papers discuss the events within the Labor Party: Yediot Ahronot points out that the Labor party should be in an excellent position as it is Likud which is mainly responsible for problems in creating a unity government, and as Prime Minister Sharon is eager for them to join, the Labor party can exact a high price for their support. Instead „there are principally, accusations, embarrassment and confusion.” The editors suggest that this is due to the fact that the Labor party’s assessment of Israeli politics is outdated and that the party urgently needs to modernize. Hatzofeh recommends that its readers not get excited by the opposition within the Labor party to join the coalition, as „if Sharon succeeds in convincing the majority of his party that a unity government is essential and is preferable over early elections – the opposition voices in the Labor party will cease.” _________________________________ Yediot Ahronot, in its second editorial, welcomes the launching disengagement authority which yesterday publicly commenced its work to implement the disengagement plan. The paper comments that „In Israel, a political decision is not taken seriously until the implementing body begins to act. With this perspective, the administration’s announcement is a welcome step.” The editors also note that with disengagement officially being put into action, it will become clear how many residents will be willing to leave of their own accord and how many will be forced to leave. Furthermore, those parties that are still „sitting on the fence” will be forced to either support or oppose the plan. BPI-info
