HEADLINES FROM THE IZRAELI HEBREW PRESSBreuerPress
HA’ARETZ
1. OBAMA FINDING IT DIFFICULT TO SECURE MAJORITIES IN CONGRESS AND AT G-20
SUMMIT FOR ATTACK ON SYRIA
(…)
2. Talks going nowhere
ISRAEL PROTESTS TO US: PALESTINIANS LEAKING FROM THE NEGOTIATIONS
MA’ARIV
1. ACHIEVEMENT FOR PUTIN: OBAMA FINDING IT DIFFICULT TO SECURE MAJORITIES IN
EUROPE AND IN CONGRESS FOR ATTACK ON SYRIA
(…)
YEDIOT AHRONOT
1. ALONE IN THE CAMPAIGN
(…)
YISRAEL HAYOM
1. (…)
PRESIDENT IN A TRAP
(…) In Israel: Maintaining silence and continuing to distribute gas masks
WALLA!
1. THIS MORNING: SETTLER LEADERS TO DEMONSTRATE IN JERUSALEM AGAINST THE
DIPLOMATIC NEGOTIATIONS
NANA10
1. WESTERN DIPLOMATS: ISRAEL DEMANDING TO RETAIN CONTROL OF BORDER CROSSINGS
WITH JORDAN
[Headlines for Walla! and Nana10 are from their websites as of 10:40.]
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SUMMARY OF OP-EDS FROM THE HEBREW PRESS
All three papers discuss various issues regarding a projected US-led
punitive strike on Syria for the latter’s use of chemical weapons against
its own civilians:
Ma’ariv claims that, „The UN is bankrupt,” vis-à-vis its dealing with the
situation in Syria and adds, „The EU is at one of its lowest points,” given
that, „There is no European position; the only thing that the European
countries succeed in agreeing on, however sluggishly, is aid to the
Palestinians and periodic condemnations of Israel.” The author concludes,
„History will remember these days for shame, mainly regarding the free
world. Despite all its intelligence tools and all its strength, it stands
helpless in the face of the greatest humanitarian crisis of the past decade.
It cannot agree on what happened or on what is happening. In the foreseeable
future, there is also no chance that it will agree on what needs to be
done.”
Yediot Ahronot says that, „In the past week, the American administration
lost the chance to win international consensus and this week it is entirely
possible – if the current polls, which indicate that a Congressional
majority opposes an attack, are correct – that he will lose the consensus at
home,” and adds, „In such a situation, the American President finds himself
facing the world with his feathers plucked: He has no cards for a diplomatic
move and no agreement for a military move.” However, if US President Obama
does secure Congressional approval, the author believes that the strike on
Syria will be far more massive than was originally planned for four reasons:
„One, a symbolic attack after three weeks of threats would be ridiculous.
Two, US Sen. McCain and a not inconsiderable group of Republicans in
Congress are demanding a significant strike and have received assurances to
this effect. Three, in the meantime, Syria has moved around equipment and
forces, and therefore, more firepower will be necessary in order to score
effective hits. Four, and most important, the number of targets has grown
due to a significant change in American policy regarding the rebels. Now
there is an American commitment to aid the rebels both with deadly weapons
and training and as a part of this commitment, targets have been added that
would weaken the Syrian military’s ability to strike at them.”
Yisrael Hayom suggests that US President Obama failed to understand the
Biblical dictum „A time for war and a time for
peace”<www.
dithered away the advantage he had immediately following the August 21
chemical attack. The author asserts that, „Israel is the American
President’s only loyal supporter and it is also liable to pay a heavy price
if Obama honors the commitment that he himself made and does not allow the
red lines that he drew with his own hands to be erased. But supporting the
US President does not excuse Jerusalem from having to think about how much
Israel can rely on its major ally. There is a psychological and diplomatic
connection between American policy toward Assad and the commitment that he
took upon himself to prevent a nuclear Iran.”
