(Israel Government Press Office)
Ma'ariv discusses Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's standing in the Likud ahead of tomorrow's central committee meeting. The paper notes that even though strident right-wingers were recently elected to head the party's institutions, "Netanyahu is lucky that no fateful diplomatic issues are currently on the agenda." The author adds that even the joint list with Avigdor Liberman seems to be on the backburner, "at least until the municipal elections." The paper says: "There will be no drama tomorrow," and suggests that "One can relate to it like preparations for a battle in which the sides stand and take each other's measure ahead of a diplomatic future which may come and which may not."
Yediot Aharonot comments on the situation in Egypt. The author says: "Throughout all the recent upheavals in Egypt, the military has been, and remains, an anchor of stability," and adds: "Experience has shown that its people know well the value and importance of the peace and what it means for life in their bleeding country."
Yisrael Hayom believes that yesterday's car bomb in a Hezbollah stronghold in a Shi'ite neighborhood in Beirut was an act of Sunni revenge and points out that "Nasrallah's hands are awash in Sunni blood and today, there are enough extremist Salafists seeking to avenge Nasrallah's actions, mainly over the side he has taken in Syria." The author refers to the current bloody stage in the ancient Sunni-Shi'ite rivalry and remarks: "Sunnis and Shi'ites should see to the existence and security of Israel because without it – who knows where the historic rift between them would lead."
The Jerusalem Post observes that Israelis perceive their government as corrupt and influenced by a select group with inordinate power, and notes that “In recent years, political corruption seems to be motivated more by base greed and the possibilities resulting from the rise of big business interests.” The editor opines that “Combating of political corruption needs to focus on the problematic relations that have developed in recent years between business interests and politicians,” and concludes: “to succeed in changing both the perceptions and the reality of political corruption, we must concentrate on finding ways to reduce the problematic nexus of business and politics in Israel.”
Haaretz refers to The Religious Services Ministry's Jewish Identity Administration, and the bill for a proposed Basic Law on Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people, and argues that “The identity of a person, society or state should not be based on the instructions of an ideologically biased bureaucracy that is the spoiled fruit of a coalition agreement.” The editor asserts: “ The administration is part of an all-out assault by a government obsessed with Jewish identity. The bill for a proposed Basic Law on Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people is another aspect of this obsession. So is the demand by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas recognize Israel as a Jewish state. The pieces of the puzzle form a sorry portrait of an insecure government.”
[Shalom Yerushalmi, Eitan Haber and Boaz Bismout wrote today’s articles in Ma'ariv, Yediot Aharonot and Yisrael Hayom, respectively.]