SUMMARY OF EDITORIALS FROM THE HEBREW PRESS

HA’ARETZ 1. Police raid offices of Bank Hapoalim management. SUSPICION: MILLIONS OF DOLLARS WERE LAUNDERED AT BANK HAPOALIM BRANCH; INVOLVEMENT OF GOUSSINSKY AND ZVI HEFETZ BEING CHECKED. 24 Bank Hapoalim branch employees, including former manager, arrested. Police raided Goussinsky’s offices and seized documents. 180 bank accounts frozen; all branch customers to be investigated. Bank Hapoalim: Employees will cooperate with investigators. 2. SYRIA TO BEGIN WITHDRAWING FROM LEBANON TODAY. 3. GOVERNMENT SUPPORTS CONVERTING SENIOR CIVIL SERVICE POSITIONS INTO POLITICAL APPOINTMENTS. 4. ABU MAZEN AND MOFAZ TO MEET THIS WEEK; WILL TRY TO MOVE NEGOTIATIONS FORWARD. HATZOFEH 1. (…). SUSPICION: BIGGEST MONEY-LAUNDERING AFFAIR IN HISTORY OF STATE. Goussinsky among owners of Ma’ariv. (…). 2. HEZBOLLAH FINDING IT DIFFICULT TO DISENGAGE FROM SYRIA. Syrian army to start withdrawing from Lebanon today. Withdrawal to start in north towards Beka Valley. Hezbollah Secy.-Gen. Nasrallah calls for mass demonstrations tomorrow in support of Syria. US makes it clear that it will not agree to any compromise. 3. ISRAEL AND JORDAN TO HOLD ECONOMIC CONFERENCE WITHIN A MONTH. Thus Olmert and Jordanian Foreign Minister agreed yesterday. MA’ARIV 1. (…). EFFORT TO ENLIST STATE WITNESS. (…). 2. OFFICER VOLUNTEERS TO BE MOLE. Reserve captain: I will transfer intelligence information on disengagement to Yesha HQ. 3. AIR FORCE: PILOTS BANNED FROM USING VIAGRA. YEDIOT AHRONOT 1. (…). WORKING IN THE BLACK. This is name chosen by police for investigation of largest money-laundering investigation in history of the state. Suspicion: Employees from Yarkon St. branch in TA assisted foreign businessmen. Method: Huge amounts from unknown source deposited and withdrawn within minutes – without being reported. (…). 2. SCANDAL: POLITICAL APPOINTMENTS LAW. Approved by Government, in contravention of Attorney General Mazuz’s position. ______________________________ Hatzofeh says that, “Despite the fact that the Prime Minister and the Defense Minister are trying to play down the dimensions of terrorists organizing behind the current quiet – it is becoming more and more clear that Abu Mazen and his lieutenants are not doing anything against terrorism.” The editors assert that, “Abu Mazen is a slippery character who has learned well from Arafat’s mistakes,” and adds that, “He knows that it is possible to make do with condemning terrorism, and that there is no need to make an effort vis-?-vis everything connected to dismantling terrorist infrastructures because Ariel Sharon is now under pressure, both at home from Peres and his cohorts and abroad from Europe and even from the White House that cannot withstand Blair’s request to pressure Israel to make progress on the Roadmap.” Yediot Ahronot analyzes the major money-laundering racket that was revealed yesterday when police raided Bank Hapoalim’s Yarkon St. branch in Tel Aviv. The editors predict a long and arduous investigation and urge the banks to move quickly to restore public confidence because, “Confidence in them has cracked; the crack must be closed immediately.” BPI-info