The Jerusalem Post comments on a recent speech by IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Gadi Eisenkot, in which he delivered a welcome measure of reassurance to some Israelis who think they hear digging underneath their homes, and welcomes his declaration that Israel’s counter-tunnel technology is ‘the best in the world.’ The editor notes that Israel’s countermeasures are mostly hidden from public view, and adds: “it is reassuring to hear from the head of our military, the one charged with actually confronting terrorism both on the street and on the Gaza battlefield, that defeating terrorism is possible.”
Haaretz discusses the harassment if the foreign media by the Israeli authorities, and is enraged that “Israeli democracy dares to intimidate people who report the goings on in the country.” The editor attests that the harassment will not help: “The world has noted that the Palestinians object to the occupation and are expressing their resistance with murderous violence,” and declares: “No emphasis in a report’s headline, or change in a paragraph’s word order, will bring the conflict closer to its end.”
Yediot Aharonot calls on the authorities to view the terror attack at the Damascus Gate last week as a red flag, and states: “The current intifada has already reached a point in which military and intelligence initiatives can no longer provide an adequate solution. Israel needs to increase monitoring of social media and arrest main agitators, but also promote a political initiative that includes unilateral moves that could lower the tensions.”
Israel Hayom notes the anti-establishment message coming out of New Hampshire, which could spell danger for both parties in the general election, but contends that “The results show a burning desire for change after seven years of President Barack Obama, but they also attest to a major schism within the Republican Party.”
Ron Ben-Yishai and Abraham Ben-Zvi wrote today’s articles in Yediot Aharonot and Israel Hayom, respectively
