Yediot Aharonot says that Ehud Barak put forward Yoav Galant’s candidacy as the next IDF Chief-of-Staff
Yediot Aharonot says that Ehud Barak put forward Yoav Galant’s candidacy as the next IDF Chief-of-Staff at least partly in an effort to hamstring outgoing Chief-of-Staff Gaby Ashkenazi and turn the latter into a lame duck. The author refers to the controversy over Galant’s candidacy and suggests that „If, in the end, Galant is not appointed, Barak should be humane, take pity on him and offer him at least the second spot on the ‘Atzmaut’ list.”
Ma’ariv asks „To whom exactly does [Foreign Minister Avigdor] Liberman intend to offer a temporary Palestinian state, to those who did not accept Olmert’s and Livni’s far-reaching and dangerous proposals?”
Yisrael Hayom discusses events in Egypt and Lebanon. In Egypt, the author believes that „While outwardly, the demonstrations are against the succession of Mubarak’s son, in the stands the harsh economic situation of the lower classes, who live amidst severe overcrowding without basic conditions.” The paper warns that „This situation cannot continue,” and wonders if „we are currently witnessing a change that will reach Egypt and break the corrupt dynasty of officers that has ruled the country since July 1952.” In Lebanon, the author asserts that „The new prime minister, Najib Mikati, is a puppet controlled by [Hezbollah Secy.-Gen. Hassan] Nasrallah,” and says that among the Christians, voices calling for a separate Christian state are now being heard.
The Jerusalem Post discusses the 2010 report issued by the Israel Police, in which “it praised itself profusely and awarded itself top marks for ‘significantly improving’ its service to the citizenry.” The editor contends that the report is in effect a numbers-game intended to portray the police in a better light, and states that “What is troubling is the sense of an attempt to spin these numbers for the sake of better PR. The police would do better to focus on why its standing with the public is in the sorry state it is, and work substantively to improve it.”
Haaretz discusses yesterday’s release of Yona Avrushmi, who served a 27-year term in prison for the murder of Emil Grunzweig during a Peace Now demonstration in Jerusalem in 1983, and wonders “whether such a serious punishment will deter those plotting to harm political figures or other prominent participants in the public discourse.” The editor calls on the Israel Police and the Shin Bet security services “to do their utmost to gather intelligence about those planning the next political killing, and to protect those who are being threatened,” and declares: “Murder for so-called „ideological” reasons, which is an assassination of democracy, is no less serious than an ordinary criminal murder – in fact, just the opposite is true.”
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