Summary of editorials from the Izraeli Hebrew press
All five papers discuss the Geneva agreement regarding the Iranian nuclear project:
Ma’ariv suggests that „The interim agreement is neither a disaster nor a cause for celebration.” The author asserts: „There is no basis for believing that Iran will necessarily act in good faith and will not try to bypass the restrictions,” and adds: „After years of deception and lies vis-à-vis the international community, Iran has lost all basis for trust and, therefore, oversight must be comprehensive and the inspectors’ visits frequent.” The paper cautions that „As long as Iran has not carried out an about-face regarding its military intentions, it is still playing a tactical game in the framework of which it is trying to achieve maximum sanctions relief in exchange for minimum concessions.”
Yediot Aharonot says that „Israel has cause for concern. First, because its main demand, the complete dismantling of Fordow, the fortified underground site near Qom, was not met. Second, because the agreement, in contrast to Israel’s demand, is for only six months, and therefore, Iran will be able to resume nuclear development in another six months without being considered in violation of it. Third, and most importantly, the section of the agreement regarding sanctions is very vague. It is not clear which sanctions will be lifted and how.” The author warns: „If it becomes clear that Iran is violating the agreement or if it refuses to sign a permanent agreement, the ability to threaten it again will be severely impaired.”
Yisrael Hayom believes that „The rush to Geneva and Iran’s great effort not to derail the talks attest to the harsh economic situation that the country is caught up in as a result of many years of economic sanctions,” and adds: „State coffers are so empty that the government cannot pay the subsidies that it has promised to the people or invest in creating jobs. Unemployment has climbed worryingly since the flow of petrodollars to Iran waThe Jerusalem Posts halted.” The author asserts that „The sum of $7 billion, which according to American estimates is due to flow to Iran’s state budget, will not solve the economic problems beyond the coming months.”
The Jerusalem Post agrees that “The nuclear agreement signed in Geneva between the P5+1 and Iran over the weekend is a ‘bad deal’ from Israel’s perspective.” The editor believes that “At its best, the deal signed in Geneva might temporarily slow Iran’s progress toward nuclear arms capability,” and adds: “More likely it will provide the US and other western nations with a false impression that headway has been made while providing cover for the Iranians as they plod forward toward nuclear capability.”
Haaretz states that “just as Netanyahu instilled in the world powers a commitment to Israel’s security against the Iranian threat, he must now adopt the result of these efforts, give the agreement a chance and strengthen the likelihood that an agreement with Iran is preferable to a threat without an agreement.” The editor believes that Netanyahu’s rushed, negative, response, and the claim that Israel is not obliged to the agreement are destructive, and declares: “Automatic opposition and threats isolate Israel, and weaken its power to influence future agreements with Iran, which will be even more important than this one.”
