HA’ARETZ:1. At the cost of a NIS 5.4 billion cut:
CABINET APPROVES PLAN FOR FREE EDUCATION FROM AGE THREE.
2. [LIKUD] MK ELKIN GAVE INFORMATION TO THOSE ACCUSED OF MONITORING THE IDF.
MA’ARIV
1. LAPID ENTERING POLITICS, WILL ESTABLISH PARTY.
Media personality announces that he is quitting as TV presenter. His Knesset list will apparently include: Rabbi Shai Piron and Karnit Goldwasser.
2. LAW ON FREE EDUCATION FROM AGE THREE APPROVED. GANTZ: „THEY’RE SELLING OUT THE IDF.”
(…).
YEDIOT AHRONOT
1. LAPID RUNNING.
Yesterday: Yair Lapid announces he is quitting TV in order to beat cooling-off period law.
2. NEW EDUCATION.
Netanyahu acceded to Shas’s and Silvan Shalom’s demands at the last minute and secured majority in favor of law on free education from age three. He gave up on Liberman’s support.
YISRAEL HAYOM
1. Journalist Yair Lapid quitting Channel 2 news; assessment in political establishment:
„LAPID JUMPED TOO SOON.”
(…). Assessment: Until elections are set, he will fade. PM’s barbed welcome: „Welcome to politics; now it’s official.” Before he decided
– consulted with Olmert.
2. CABINET APPROVES: FREE EDUCATION FROM AGE THREE.
After feverish contacts with Shas: Across-the-board cut in Government ministries approved. Netanyahu: „Historic decision.” Supplement to defense budget but Finance Minister Steinitz is satisfied: „We achieved transparency.”
3. DID RIGHT-WING MKS HELP SETTLERS WITH INFORMATION ABOUT THE IDF?
Indictments against five who broke into base.
WALLA!
1. WITHOUT YELLOW STARS: PRISON FOR THOSE WHO USE HOLOCAUST SYMBOLS.
Law banning use of Nazi symbols and epithets, which was approved this morning, also determines that person who calls another „Nazi” will be jailed. Offender will be fined up to NIS 100,000 in addition to being jailed for up to six months.
2. AFTER PURSUIT: SEVEN PALESTINIANS ARRESTED IN SHA’AR EFRAYIM AREA.
Vehicle with 13 Palestinians aroused suspicion on Highway #6 and was told to stop. Driver ignored order; after pursuit, seven Palestinians, including four wanted by the ISA, were arrested. Police looking for driver and the other five.
3. POLL: PARTY HEADED BY YAIR LAPID TO RECEIVE ONLY SEVEN MANDATES.
(…). Poll determines that Tzipi Livni’s party would collapse to 12 seats.
NANA10
1. MINISTERIAL COMMITTEE APPROVES: IMPRISONMENT AND FINE FOR CALLING SOMEONE „NAZI.”
2. POLL: PARTY HEADED BY LAPID TO RECEIVE SEVEN SEATS.
According to poll, carried out for „Orly and Guy” program, Likud would keep its strength at 27 seats, while Kadima would collapse to 12.
[Headlines for Walla! and Nana10 are from their websites as of 13:05.]
SUMMARY OF OP-EDS FROM THE IZRAELI HEBREW PRESS
Yediot Ahronot comments on the law on free education from age three, which the Cabinet approved yesterday. The author claims that, „Expanding the free education law and economic justice have nothing in common,” and believes that, „The proper response to the plight of the middle class in the area of raising children would be to channel sources of funding to providing free pre-school education only to those children whose parents work full-time.” The paper gives the following examples: Build excellent daycare centers close to places of work. Encourage both parents to develop careers and fully participate in productive activity. Use the tax code to provide incentives for both parents to work.”
Ma’ariv contends that if MKs are prepared to approve legislation that would require a „cooling off” period for journalists who would like to enter politics, they should also be prepared to approve similar legislation for MKs who would like to enter the private sector.
Yisrael Hayom suggests that the effect of media personality Yair Lapid’s entry into politics will not be as great as he hopes. The author notes contrary to what Lapid is apparently counting on, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in no hurry to call early elections and adds that while current polls show Lapid doing well, they may not necessarily hold true the longer that elections are put off. The paper believes that since Lapid will draw most of his putative support, „mainly from Kadima, Labor, Meretz and Independence, he will not be an ‘equilibrium breaker’ (unlike Aryeh Deri).” The editor asserts that, „Lapid will soon realize that his main public asset
– being really nice –
is not enough to cause a political earthquake.”
BreuerPress-info
