Summary of Editorials from the Izraeli Hebrew Press
Ma’ariv asserts that „Israel must completely disengage from Gaza and allow the Palestinians to run their lives without any Israeli involvement,” and adds: „There is no need to worry about the welfare of the residents of the Strip. They must be allowed to use a seaport, airport and whatever they like. The claim that they will arm themselves to the teeth and
threaten Israel’s existence is a stupid claim. A Gaza with tanks, planes and
artillery would be much more vulnerable than it is now. Gaza is not an existential threat for Israel. The IDF could level Gaza within two days if Israel’s leaders were not afraid of their own shadows.” The author suggests that „It could be that in order to reach this solution, a military operation would be necessary to restore deterrence. But whoever thinks that only a military operation will eliminate Hamas is mistaken and is misleading others. The solution must be based on diplomacy, with the involvement of the international community, especially the US.”
Yisrael Hayom says that „The Hamas regime decided when the first shot would be fired, its scope and even when it would end,” and adds: „The Palestinians fired a stream of missiles and Israel responded with restraint.” The author reminds his readers that „Benjamin Netanyahu and Ehud Olmert did promise a proper response at the right time, but things are not like that,” and asserts: „Israel will act only upon the resumption of the firing, initiated by Hamas. Unfortunately, there is no doubt that this will happen.” The paper speculates that „The Israeli response to the resumption of firing from Gaza will be based on two things: An aerial Operation Cast Lead against the institutions of the Hamas regime in the heart of Gaza, and not just the pursuit of terrorist cells; and the resumption of targeted eliminations against the leaders, as opposed to merely attacking terrorists. But we must prepare for this. The few days of calm requ! ire the continuation of the war by diplomatic means.”
The Jerusalem Post comments on the reassessment of options by Israeli politicians in the wake of the latest escalation in the south, and states: “by readjusting our perception of Gaza and viewing the territory as a de facto state with an identifiable political leadership, we would be better positioned to achieve a cardinal national interest – maintaining quiet on our southern border.”
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Haaretz accuses Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz of being the “‘finance minister’ of Judea and Samaria,” and strongly criticizes his decision to double the budget for Judea and Samaria. The editor quotes a statement by Steinitz on a regional radio station: “We did this in a low-profile manner, because we didn’t want parties either in Israel or abroad to thwart the move,” and asserts: “The fact that the finance minister has been going behind the public’s back is unforgivable. If the government has decided to support the settlements with massive budgets, it must disclose this to the public in real time and fight for its policy; not do it ‘in a low-profile manner’ – a euphemism for concealment. The fact that only long afterward, as part of an election campaign, did a senior cabinet minister boast of acting like a thief in the night is an insult to Israel’s citizens and a disgrace to the government.”
Yediot Aharonot claims that elements within the Syrian rebel leadership support peace with Israel – contingent upon the return of the Golan Heights – so that they might be able to divert resources to rebuilding their country once they have taken power.
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