(Israel Government Press Office)

Yediot Aharonot asserts that Syria, "as a country, no longer exists; those who rule there are the warlords – the heads of gangs, ethnic communities and militias," and reminds its readers: "This is how Syria looked on the eve of the French occupation in the early 20th century – the Ottoman Empire exercised a theoretical, long-range control while control on the ground was held by the leaders of gangs and ethnic communities." The author contends that "Syria is the first Arab state that has, in effect, broken up and disappeared, and after it is Libya, which has also fractured into tribes, and then Iraq, which is on the verge of an ethnic and tribal explosion replete with an expanding Sunni intifada against the Shi'ite regime. Now we can understand how shallow the invention of Arab 'nationalism' in the Middle East was. 'Palestinian people'? Now it has been proven there isn't even a 'Syrian people', an 'Iraqi people' or a 'Lebanese people'."

Ma'ariv believes that "The US has accepted a nuclear Iran," and attributes this, in part, to, "voices arising from Israel." The author avers that "The security experts in Israel who opposed an attack have caused serious damage."

Yisrael Hayom says that the controversy over recent remarks about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which have been attributed to US President Barack Obama, have apparently not – based on the latest, and final, polls – affected the campaign for next Tuesday's elections.

The Jerusalem Post comments on the new trial ousted former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is to face, and states: “The odds are that we are in for another show trial, more entertainment for the masses and more fodder for the mob.” The editor opines that for a true democracy to exist, it must include “an unbridled critical press, fearless free expression and – foremost – protecting the lot, a truly autonomous judiciary,” – a point the editor feels was seemingly ignored by the Obama administration and the EU “in their alacrity to embrace Morsi.” The editor concludes: “The Mubarak retrial constitutes another reminder that we have reason to worry.”

Haaretz criticizes the IDF for the recent killings of Palestinians who were illegally attempting to cross the separation fence near Ramallah or the one enclosing the Gaza Strip and states: “The consecutive incidents in which Palestinians were killed in recent days give the feeling that Palestinian blood may be shed with impunity.” The editor avows that “Chief of Staff Benny Gantz must not only probe and bring to justice the guilty parties in the killing, but also take responsibility for putting an immediate end to the killing of innocent civilians.’

[Guy Bechor, Oded Tira and Dan Margalit wrote today’s articles in Yediot Aharonot, Ma'ariv and Yisrael Hayom, respectively.]