HEADLINES FROM THE IZRAELI HEBREW PRESS
BREUERPRESS
HA’ARETZ
1. MINISTERS APPROVE LAW TO ANNEX THE JORDAN VALLEY
Netanyahu warned of proposal’s consequences, but Likud ministers ignored him. Coalition evaluation: Law will be shelved – „This is mere provocation.”
2. NETANYAHU PRESSING TO ELIMINATE INCREASE IN CORPORATE TAX
3. STREAM OF IMMIGRANTS FROM FRANCE INCREASING, LESS IMMIGRATION FROM THE USA
MA’ARIV
1. TONIGHT: 26 TERRORISTS TO GO FREE. FOR FIRST TIME: FIVE ISRAELI ARABS AMONG THOSE TO BE RELEASED
Despite ministers’ opposition: Five terrorists who will go free tonight are Arabs from eastern Jerusalem. Justice Ministry: Severe restrictions to be placed on their movements. (…)
2. Political unrest in Turkey
CONCERN IN JERUSALEM THAT POLITICAL CRISIS IN TURKEY WILL DELAY RECONCILIATION WITH ISRAEL
3. 13TH VICTIM OF TERRORIST ATTACK ON BUS OF CHILDREN FROM AVIVIM
43 years after nine of her classmates and three adults were murdered en route to school in the upper Galilee, Leah Revivo (52) died last week from an infection from a fragment from terrorists’ fire that lodged in her brain.
YEDIOT AHRONOT
1. Likud ministers vote to annex the Jordan Valley. 26 murderers to be released tonight.
TIME TO DECIDE
YISRAEL HAYOM
1. Third phase: 26 Palestinian terrorists to be released tonight
JORDAN VALLEY LAW: SECURITY AGREEMENT, POLITICAL STORM
On eve of Kerry’s visit: Ministerial committee approves annexation of the Jordan Valley. Likud ministers supported; Livni and Lapid opposed: „We will file appeal.” PM: „Dealing with diplomatic issues – only by full Cabinet.” US: „Palestinian appeal to UN to be considered violation of agreements; building in Judea and Samaria – not.”
WALLA!
1. PALESTINIAN PRISONERS DUE TO BE RELEASED GATHERED IN OFER PRISON
NANA10
1. NAHARIYA: TWO SEVERELY WOUNDED SYRIANS BROUGHT TO NAHARIYA HOSPITAL
[Headlines from Walla! and Nana10 are from their websites as of 12:05.]
______________________________
SUMMARY OF OP-EDS FROM THE IZRAELI HEBREW PRESS
Ma’ariv refers to yesterday’s volley of Katyusha rockets from southern Lebanon<www.idfblog.com/2013/12/29/rockets-fired-from-lebanon-at-israel-idf-responds/> and suggests, „It is too early to determine who exactly was behind the shooting but on the face of it, it seems that the instability in Lebanon is sliding toward Israel.” The author notes that, „The IDF’s initial evaluation yesterday morning was that Hezbollah was not involved in the firing at the north,” and surmises that, „one of the countless organizations present in Lebanon acting on its own, perhaps out of a desire to embroil Hezbollah,” was responsible. The paper says, „Barring unforeseen developments, this incident is expected to end and be forgotten like the firing that took place in August,” but cautions, „The situation in Lebanon and on the Syrian Golan Heights is very tense and it is only a question of time when the next incident slides into our territory.”
Yediot Ahronot discusses the peace process and the scheduled release of the next round of Palestinian prisoners. The author, a former GOC Navy, asserts that, „Israel’s ability to continue holding talks while releasing murderers and, under the aegis of these acts, continue building in the territories, no longer exists,” because, „The Americans and the Europeans strongly oppose construction in the territories despite releasing the terrorists.” The paper believes that Israel can neither give in to international diktat – and freeze construction – nor ignore it altogether – and continue to build, without bringing on either, „a coalition crisis or an international crisis, both of which are bad for Israel and would drag it toward isolation.” The author says, „Israel needs to decide between two alternatives. One is negotiations with the Palestinians in order to reach a peace agreement, while freezing construction in the territories. In this case, the release of terrorists would be carried out only after the agreement is signed. Such a course of action would apparently lead to changes in the coalition and perhaps even elections. The second alternative: Insisting on continued construction in the territories without negotiations and without releasing terrorists, a move that would apparently leave the coalition intact, but which would lead to very harsh results in the international arena and in US-Israel relations.”
Yisrael Hayom says that, „The decision of the Ministerial Committee on Legislation to annex the communities in the Jordan Valley<www.jordanvalley.org.il/?categoryId=38842> is not worth the paper it is written on,” and declares, „There is no chance that Benjamin Netanyahu will allow MK Miri Regev’s proposal to receive full government approval.” The author dismisses the proposal as, „political populism,” and speculates that those ministers who voted for it did so to bolster their standing in their various parties and know full well that it has no chance of becoming law. The paper notes that, „Regev, whose military role was as spokesperson during the disengagement from Gush Katif, apparently feels the need to clear herself vis-a-vis the Likud right-wing and is now more Catholic than the Pope on the Greater Land of Israel.” The author wonders if those who support the initiative, „are so certain that Abu Mazen does not want an agreement in any case, why are they making it difficult for Netanyahu to blame the lack of an agreement on the Palestinians?”
