HEADLINES FROM THE HEBREW PRESS

HA’ARETZ 1. Final preparations for evacuation: IDF COLLECTING WEAPONS IN SAMARIA; STAY-AWAY ORDER TO TWO SA-NUR LEADERS. Ganim and Kadim: Settlements declared „closed military zones”, entry of Israelis banned. Home demolitions: Israel and PA agree – World Bank to be in charge of home demolitions. PA: Abu Mazen – We will celebrate in civilized manner, world is watching us. 2. UPHEAVAL IN LIKUD: NETANYAHU DEFEATS SHARON AMONG PARTY MEMBERS. Dialogue poll, exclusive for Ha’aretz: Netanyahu 35%, Sharon 29.1% & Landau 17.3%. HATZOFEH 1. Netanyahu leaves US on apparent fundraising trip ahead of Likud primaries. BENJAMIN NETANYAHU – EN ROUTE TO BE PM. Gal Hadash Institute poll, published on Channel 10, determines that 42% of Likud members would vote for Netanyahu while only 27% would vote for Sharon if primaries were held today. According to poll, 64% of Likud members agree with Netanyahu that uprooting will turn Gaza Strip into terrorist state. MK Uzi Landau also joins field of Likud contenders. 2. TWO WOUNDED IN SOUTHERN HEBRON AREA SHOOTING ATTACK. 3. IDF CLOSES PART OF NORTHERN SAMARIA AHEAD OF IMPLEMENTATION OF UPROOTING. 4. CABINET DISCUSSES STATE BUDGET INTO THE NIGHT. 5. LABOR PARTY MEMBERSHIP DRIVE: ALMOST 50% OF NEW MEMBERS ARE INVALID. MA’ARIV 1. Intra-party polls: Netanyahu defeats Sharon. LIKUD DISENGAGING FROM SHARON. Netanyahu apparently knows what he is doing. Day after his dramatic resignation, two polls carried out among Likud members show: Former Finance Minister handily defeats Prime Minister. Several of Sharon’s advisers: Must establish new party. 2. UNKNOWN PERSONS ATTEMPT TO EXHUME ZADA’S BODY. Day after funeral – grave desecrated. YEDIOT AHRONOT 1. Today: IDF collecting weapons from extremists at Sa-Nur. EXODUS FROM GISH KATIF BEGINS. Hundreds of families evacuating their belongings from Gush Katif. Extremists storing food and fuel. Last night: DM issues administrative detention orders against two right-wing activists in Sa-Nur: Miriam and Yaron Adler. 2. HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF SHEKELS FOR EDUCATION, HEALTH AND SOCIAL WELFARE. Cabinet approves 2006 budget. Sharon promises „We will fight poverty,” and adds NIS 600 million for poor. ____________________ SUMMARY OF EDITORIALS FROM THE HEBREW PRESS Yediot Ahronot suggests that, „Next week is liable – or likely – to be critical for the State of Israel: Riots – and, Heaven forbid, casualties – are liable to rend the human fabric that this country is made up of. The problem isn’t the settlers but those groups of madmen, the likes of which we saw in last week in Shfaram. If one of these attacks – Heaven forbid – a policeman or a soldier then the majority of the Israeli people will rise up against the settlers and their supporters; the orange will then be stained with red.” Yediot Ahronot, in its second editorial, refers to the findings of a Labor Party commission, chaired by a retired judge, that almost 50% of the new members in the recent membership drive were invalid, and asserts that, „The politicians will now look for new tricks (since integrity is foreign to them) but today, one should ask: Why? For what? The Labor Party has lost its way and has lost its leaders (except, of course, for Shimon Peres) and it is clinging to the tail of the leopard Arik Sharon who is racing off towards the unknown.” Hatzofeh discusses the National Insurance Institute’s 2004 poverty report, which was issued earlier this week. BPI-info