HEADLINES FROM THE IZRAELI HEBREW PRESS
HA’ARETZ:1. HA’ARETZ POLL: SATISFACTION WITH NETANYAHU AT UNPRECEDENTED NADIR
Against background of decrees, Tal Law and Kadima quitting, only 31% are satisfied with PM’s performance. Only 19% support Minister Steinitz.
2. DEFENSE ESTABLISHMENT ASSESSES: 300 CASUALTIES IN WAR WITH IRAN; HOME FRONT COMMAND: QUARTER OF CITIZENS DO NOT HAVE PROTECTION
3. BRITAIN ADVANCING RECONCILIATION INITIATIVE BETWEEN ISRAEL AND TURKEY
4. SHAS TO SUPPORT [BUDGET] CUTS AND WILL GET BACK MILLIONS
MA’ARIV
1. Marathon discussions with US Secretary of Defense on Iranian nuclear program.
US SEETHING: „BARAK AND NETANYAHU UNGRATEFUL”
Harsh criticism in Washington of PM and Defense Minister: „Behaving with piggishness regarding US guarantee of Israel’s defense and are thus hurting the Obama administration.”
YEDIOT AHRONOT
1. Sensation in tennis; Achievement in the pool.
RESPECT
Successful day for Israel in London. (…).
2. „US WILL PREVENT A NUCLEAR IRAN”
So promised US Secretary of Defense in Israel.
YISRAEL HAYOM
1. Big day for Israeli athletes at London Olympic games.
PRIDE
2. Israel demanding: Enough with declarations, time has come for action against Iran.
„YOU DO NOT STOP CENTRIFUGES WITH TALK”
With Iron Dome in the background, the US Secretary of Defense pledged: „We will not allow Tehran to develop a nuclear weapon.” Netanyahu: „Diplomatic sanctions have had no effect.”
WALLA!
1. EFRAIM HALEVY: ‘IF I WERE AN IRANIAN, I WOULD BE FEARFUL IN THE COMING WEEKS’
In New York Times interview, former Mossad director assessed that window of opportunity for attacking Iran has greatly narrowed. Against the background of Panetta’s visit in the country, the paper is convinced: Military operation
– between September and October.
2. SANCTIONS DAMAGES: IRAN LOSING $133,000,000 A DAY
Bloomberg reports that Tehran is absorbing a harsh blow due to the oil embargo.
NANA10
1. FORMER MOSSAD CHIEF HALEVY: ‘IF I WERE AN IRANIAN, I WOULD BE FEARFUL IN THE COMING WEEKS’
Sources in the US told the New York Times that the assessment is that Israel has no intensions to attack soon. That said, former Mossad Director, Efraim Halevy, was quoted in the paper as saying that the coming weeks should worry the Iranians. Bloomberg reports that Iran is losing 133 million dollar for each day of sanctions.
[Headlines for Walla! and Nana10 are from their websites as of 11:20.] ______________________________
SUMMARY OF OP-EDS FROM THE HEBREW PRESS
Two papers discuss Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s and Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz’s decision to restore planned budget cuts at ministries controlled by Shas and Defense Minister Ehud Barak’s Atzmaut party:
Yediot Ahronot remarks, „Citizens have no lobbyists. They cannot pound on the Prime Minister’s door or threaten the Finance Minister that next week they will vote against the budget decrees if they do not cancel the collection of the additional 1% on their income tax or the hike in VAT. Only ministers have the possibility of ‘threatening’ the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister and that is exactly what they did: They threatened that their Knesset factions would torpedo the plan of cuts and taxes.” The author reminds his readers that, „For example, the ministers will travel in their Government BMWs and not pay the increase in gasoline prices, or the hike in VAT on gasoline next month,” and adds, „The ministers are not dependent on affordable housing and will not suffer very much from the increase in the cost-of-living since almost all of their expenses are financed by the taxpayers.” „True,” the paper says, „‘Ordinary’ Israelis can go out and demonstrate, but it is becoming clear that last summer’s protests did not help very much,” and adds, „Now, the cost-of-living will only go up.”
Ma’ariv reminds its readers, „On Monday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that ‘There are no free lunches’ just before the Cabinet approved the plan of decrees. Even before the ministers could get used to the idea that they would be obliged to absorb a NIS 700 million cut, the miracle happened and Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz reopened the soup kitchen. Steinitz is feeding the unruly ministers whose Knesset votes are needed to approve the cuts. Indeed there are free lunches, the question is just for whom.” Not surprisingly, we are talking about Shas ministers Eli Yishai and Ariel Atias, and Atzmaut ministers Ehud Barak and Shalom Simhon. Welfare Minister Moshe Kahlon from the Likud, who voted against, does not count at this stage.” The author asserts, „It is not clear where the missing money will come from,” and adds, „A similar dilemma is where the Finance Ministry will find the NIS 320 million that lacking due to the postponement in raising VAT.” The paper believes, „This hurts the credibility of Finance Ministry statements and creates the impression that this is all political horse-trading,” and refers to Bank of Israel Governor Stanley Fischer’s warning that the Finance Ministry may have to yet propose even deeper budget cuts.
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Yisrael Hayom comments on the state of US-Israel defense relations in the wake of Republican candidate Mitt Romney’s and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta’s visits to Israel and suggests that, „The Obama administration is working to keep Israel very satisfied in order to compete against Republican rival Mitt Romney’s sharp criticism of the President.” The author notes that while President Obama cannot match Romney’s statements on Jerusalem, „he does have the national checkbook and added NIS 70 million for Iron Dome so that Ehud Barak might declare that bilateral security ties have never been better.” The paper declares that, „There is something to Netanyahu’s contention that the sanctions have yet to slow the Iranian nuclear initiative,” and says that Panetta did not ask for what the Government cannot give, namely a commitment not to attack Iran before the November elections.
BreuerPress info
