(Israel Government Press Office)

Yediot Aharonot remarks that "Ehud Olmert is blaming Netanyahu for wasting NIS 11 billion on futile preparations for an attack on Iran. That is a huge outlay – but it is not out of hand if our fate is dependent on foiling Iran's ability to destroy us, if the destruction of its nuclear facilities will thwart that threat, if there are no less expensive options and if an attack will not worsen our security situation instead of improving it."

Ma'ariv notes that "There are those who claim that the diplomatic process influences terrorism.  They are wrong: history proves otherwise… Diplomatic deadlock does not lead to a decrease in terrorism, just as diplomatic negotiations do not prevent terrorism. The main cause is the capability of Israel's defense establishment." The author opines that "Diplomatic processes, either serious or perfunctory, are always good and important, but they are not necessarily good medicine against terrorism."

Yisrael Hayom reminds its readers that "Not only in Israel is terrorism the focus. Over the weekend, France opened two fronts in Africa: A failed hostage rescue operation in Somalia, and an operation in Mali that is expected to last months. In both these cases Islamic terrorists are attempting to take control of the countries." The author contributes that "I did not hear of any analyst in France who claims that the operation in Mali was designed to draw attention away from debate over social and internal issues or an analyst who warns of the possibility that the operation in Mali will cause harm to innocent civilians. When talking about a war on terrorism – the rules change. But not in every country."

Haaretz discusses the huge budget deficit, more than double the planned deficit, which came to light this week, and asserts: “This huge and dangerous shortfall is the result of the adventurous policies of the Finance Ministry and the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.” The editor declares: “once the election battles are over, any government that arises must set new priorities with an aim toward cutting the defense budget,” and warns: “If not, we'll be hurled into a macroeconomic crisis that nobody wants.”

The Jerusalem Post comments on the violence in the country’s schools, vis-à-vis the beating of a teacher at a school by a father angered by the teacher’s confiscation of his son’s cellphone, and states that “There is no excuse for the Hod Hasharon father’s violent assault at Shahar middle school. However, the incident provides an opportunity to reassess our educational system.” The editor adds: “The rampant use of cellphones and other distracting devices on school premises is a reflection of the breakdown in teachers’ authority, with the beating representing a particularly extreme example of a troubling phenomenon.”

[Yaron London, Amos Gilboa and Boaz Bismout wrote today’s articles in Yediot Aharonot, Ma'ariv and Yisrael Hayom, respectively.]